


The Better Part of Me

by Nerdgirlproblems



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-28
Updated: 2012-11-28
Packaged: 2017-11-19 19:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/576705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdgirlproblems/pseuds/Nerdgirlproblems
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt Hummel is the top investigative reporter at The Daily Planet, Blaine Anderson is his new mild-mannered partner, but a new red-and-blue clad superhero on the scene has just turned his world upside down. A classic superhero love story with a Glee twist</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the song Superman (It Ain’t Easy) by Five for Fighting. I took a long time to plan this fic and which Superman characters the Glee characters would represent. Because of this, Burt is NOT Kurt's dad. But he is his father figure. I promise it makes sense and it's better this way.

It was Blaine’s first day at The Daily Planet and he was a bundle of nerves. Sure, performing solos in front of an auditorium full of people, that was a piece of cake. Even leaping tall buildings and outracing trains was easy for him. But going into the heart of the news world and having to face down a group of hard-boiled journalists, having to impress his new colleagues and not seem like a total loser - now that was hard.

Thankfully the elevator to the 38th floor was lined with mirrors, so Blaine took a second to make sure his carefully planned and executed First Day Outfit was still pristine. Polished black loafers, crisp gray slacks, white button-down, a blue blazer with red piping, all topped off with his lucky red and blue striped bow tie. Blaine adjusted his thick, black-rimmed glasses and patted his gelled down hair, smiling at his immaculate reflection. Four years at a boys’ private school had taught him how to dress well and look polished, grooming habits he had continued while cobbling together his journalism degree from various institutions around the globe and which he knew would help him in the professional world.

When the elevator stopped, Blaine took a deep breath and exited into the Daily Planet offices, unsure of what this day would bring.

*********************************************************************** 

Kurt had a love/hate relationship with the Daily Planet bullpen. He loved the hustle and bustle of the offices, televisions blaring the 24-hour news cycle (which lately had all been focused on sightings of the Metropolis “Superman”), reporters and copy editors yelling across cubicles and desks, a general fast-pace that reflected the city they covered. Kurt loved city living and loved being its source of information. What he didn’t always love were the idiots that often surrounded him at work. 

“Finn, will you please stop staring at Rachel’s ass for five minutes and get this copy down to Artie? Finn!”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, Mr. Hummel. What was that?”

Kurt sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose and trying not to slap anyone. “I said, take this Superman piece down to Artie. I need some facts checked and the deadline is tomorrow. Think you can do that, Jolly Green, or do I need to have Rachel Berry walk there in front of you like a dangling carrot?”

Finn blushed and stammered, “N-no, I, uh, I got it,” grabbing the paper from Kurt’s hand and quickly rushing off.

“Jesus, who ever thought hiring a former football player as an intern was a good idea? Too many hits to the head.” Kurt mumbled to himself.

“HUMMEL!” Kurt heard his editor-in-chief’s voice echo across the bullpen from his corner office. “Get in here, NOW!” 

Kurt ran to his boss’s office, ready for a new assignment to sink his teeth into. Covering the city beat was great, but Kurt was an investigator first and foremost and he yearned for a new challenge. He had sent Burt a memo about really delving into those rumors and sightings of a flying strongman. Kurt was the first to write about him and was the first one to call him Superman, and he was desperate for more information on this mysterious hero.

He gracefully slid into Burt’s office to find his perpetually baseball-capped boss standing with a well-dressed but rather short man with an obvious hair-gel addiction. Actually, strike the well dressed, as he seemed to be wearing a garish bow tie. Kurt quickly stifled a bitchy comment regarding the man’s lack of fashion sense and moved his attention to his editor.

“Excuse me?”

The two men looked over at Kurt, the younger one greeting Kurt with a shy smile.

“You called, Chief?”

“Kurt Hummel, I want you to meet Blaine Anderson, the newest addition to the Planet.”

Kurt was a little confused, why would he need to meet some new hire? But the man was looking at him with a look of sincere pleasure at meeting him that he could not help but reach out his hand to shake his.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Hummel. I’m a big fan, I’ve read all your articles.”

“Oh, well thank you. And please, call me Kurt.”

The man’s smile grew even larger, something Kurt hadn’t thought possible. It lit up his whole face, his hazel eyes shining from behind his thick and unfortunate glasses.

“You can call me Blaine.”

“I’m sure I can.” Kurt replied with a smile. He turned to his editor. “Um, Chief, what’s all this about?”

“Well Kurt, Blaine here has a lot of talent as a writer, but he’s still pretty green. I figured you can show him the ropes around here since you’re my top reporter.” 

Kurt wasn’t fooled for a second by Burt’s praise. “And by ‘show him the ropes’ you mean?”

“I mean that Blaine here is going to be your writing partner.”

“WHAT!” Kurt exploded, loud enough that Blaine took an involuntary step back, but Burt held his ground. “Partner? No, Burt, I don’t do partners.”

“Well you do now. We’re all team players here at the Planet.” He put his hand on Kurt’s shoulder and said quietly, “Kiddo, this isn’t high school. You can’t be the solo star here. I need you to do this for me, okay? This Blaine kid could be great; he just needs someone to show him how it’s done. Please, for me?”

Kurt couldn’t stand it when Burt looked at him like that. His editor was more of a father to him than his own had been, and of course he wanted to help him, but a partner?

He looked over at the new guy. “Fine. Anderson, come with me. Since we’re working together you can help me get some info on this Superman guy everyone’s been talking about.” 

Blaine opened his mouth to respond, his eyes wide, but Burt beat him to it.

“Kurt, just stick to your beat for now, alright? Try not to put Blaine in danger, the Planet’s insurance is high enough with your constant death-defying.”

Kurt grinned. “Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained, Chief! And I’m still around to write about it. Nothing can stop this fearless journalist.”

Burt laughed. “One thing you don’t lack, Kid, and that’s courage.”

Kurt smiled softly at his boss, then turned on his heels and walked out.

“Let’s go, Anderson. We’ve got work to do!” 

Blaine shook himself quickly, trying to follow what had just happened. He gave a quick, “thank you for your time, Sir” to his new boss and quickly ran out of the office to catch up with Kurt.

“C’mon, Anderson! If you want to make it at the Planet you need to learn to keep up.” 

“Oh, uh, sorry Mr. Hummel.”

Kurt didn’t turn around; he just kept walking briskly towards his desk and hoped that Blaine would follow.

“I told you, it’s Kurt. If you’re going to be working with me then you’ve got to learn to listen and follow my lead. Got it?”

Reaching his cubicle, Kurt finally turned to face Blaine, sizing him up to try and get a read on him.

Blaine simply grinned at Kurt, but unlike most Metropolitans his smile seemed sincere. 

“Um…” Kurt was momentarily stunned by Blaine’s eager expression. “I guess we should go find the next big scoop, huh?”

Blaine laughed. “Sure, sounds swell!”

Kurt blanched. “Swell? Really? Jeez, that and the bowtie, where are you from, the 1930s?”

Blaine’s smile never wavered. “Nope, close though. A small town in Ohio. Westerville.”

“So, small-town boy tries to make it in the big city.” Kurt could feel his inner bitch about to let loose. “All the crowds, all the noise, and now you’ve been partnered with the most flaming homo on staff. Almost enough to make you run back to your little farm town, huh?”

Blaine’s eyes widened and for the first time his smile dropped. As soon as the words left his lips Kurt regretted it. After years of people underestimating him as a journalist because of his sexuality and propensity for high fashion, Kurt was used to being on the defensive with his biting remarks. But as mad as he was to be saddled with a partner he shouldn’t have taken it out on Blaine, even if was a little quiet and bland. He tried to come up with something to say as an apology when-

“Oh, um, not really. That’d be kind of hypocritical of me.” Blaine replied nonchalantly with a small smile. He then gave Kurt a wink.

Wow, Kurt thought, he’s actually got a personality under all that hair gel.

“Oh. Well then, I guess we’re on the same team- PAGE! Same page. C’mon, Westerville, we’ve got work to do.”

Kurt turned back to his desk to grab his notes on his latest story when he heard her.

“Oh, hi! You’re new! My name’s Rachel.”

Kurt turned back around with a groan to find Rachel Berry standing flush with Blaine and batting her eyelids at the obviously uncomfortable man. 

“Back off, Berry. He’s not interested.” 

“Oh, now you can’t know that for sure.” She purred back. “Hi, I write for the society pages. You know, celebrities and things like that. I’m practically a star myself, and I always have my finger on the pulse of Metropolis’ elite. And you are?”

Blaine coughed. “Um, Blaine Anderson. Nice to meet you.” He pulled his hand and offered it to Rachel to shake. “I’m new here. The Chief having Kurt show me the ropes.” 

“Right, so hands off, Rachel.”

“Oh Kurt! I didn’t know you were the jealous type.”

“No, I’m not! We’re not… It’s… shut up, Rachel. He’s not interested in you, he’s gay, and he and I have work to do. Go bother somebody else for a change.”

Rachel stuck her tongue out at Kurt and then turned back to Blaine.

“Pity,” She said, eyes racking over Blaine. “You’re kind of cute, for a little guy. You could use less gel, though.” She patted him on the head before bouncing off to her own desk.

“Ugh, she’s insufferable. I worked in the same section as her when I was first hired and escaping that damn gossip beat was my happiest day on the job until my Pulitzer nomination last year. Honestly, that girl drives me nuts!”

Kurt turned back around to his desk when they heard a sudden commotion from across the bullpen.

“BREAKING NEWS! THERE’S BEEN A BOMB IN AN ELEVATOR AT STAR LABS!”

Kurt’s head snapped up immediately. He whipped around to face Blaine.

“Um, alright Westerville, I need you to stay here and do some… research! Get me the history of the building and whatever major projects they’re working on right now. You know, context and filler.”

He expected a fight or at least some resistance, but Blaine just nodded with wide eyes. “Um, right, yeah research. Better hurry!”

Blaine quickly ran off, leaving Kurt stunned for a moment. He shook himself quickly, grabbing his coat and running for the door.

“Finally!” he mumbled to himself. “Superman is sure to be there.”

As Blaine ran for what he hoped was a supply closet, his mind was a blur.

*Shoot, shoot, I need to find a place to change and a fire escape or something.* 

Luckily he found a closet with a grimy window. Closing his eyes and focusing, Blaine could hear the sirens and honed in on their source. He quickly stripped off his blazer and shirt, revealing the skintight and brightly colored costume beneath.

*Please, he thought as he flew off towards Star Labs, please don’t let me look ridiculous.*


	2. Chapter 2

_This is it_ , Blaine thought as he flew across the city at super-speed. He’d been operating there for a few weeks already, and though he’d been noticed enough to be news and to get named, he hadn’t been fully seen or photographed yet. But there would be tons of reporters waiting at Star Labs, including Kurt.

 

Blaine couldn’t believe that he had actually been partnered with THE Kurt Hummel. He’d been reading Kurt’s pieces for a long time now and was a huge admirer of his. He knew that Kurt had started in the Life and Style section of the paper, but after he uncovered some scandal in the fashion industry he had broken into investigative reporting and was now one of The Planet’s top reporters. Blaine was shocked at first to hear he’d been partnered with such a journalistic star, but Burt had explained some of it to him back in his office.

 

“I’ve got just the person for you to work with, kid. He’s good, real good, you’ll learn a lot from him. But he’s also pretty single-minded in his work and way too reckless. Hopefully you can help him with that. This guy’s important to me, so I’m trusting you on this. My gut says you’re a good guy and I always trust my gut.”

 

Blaine liked Burt already, and he envied how he and Kurt were so close for a boss and employee; they seemed more like father and son. Of course thoughts like that made Blaine homesick for Ohio and Cooper, so he ignored those feelings and focused on the problem at hand. He was nearing Star Labs and he needed to assess the damage and make sure everyone was clear of the building.

 

As he arrived at Star Labs, Blaine did a quick scan of the area to formulate a plan.

 

_Ok, there’s a crowd already but the police are keeping them back. The building looks stable; none of the main supports have been damaged. Nothing’s on fire. Looks like almost everyone has been evacuated. Good, they’re a research lab, they’re prepared for emergencies. Okay… 3 people trapped on the 12th floor, 4 people on the 13th floor, there’s a lab on 13 leaking… something… that’s probably dangerous… oh, and a whole bunch of people on the roof. Ok, Blaine, let’s see how super you really are._

 

Blaine took a breath to focus himself, and then he got to work. After finding a window on the 13th floor take fly through, he focused on each task before him. When he was like this, doing what he needed to do save lives, it felt like the rest of the world melted away. Besides singing, this is what Blaine was best at: helping people. Both performing and “heroing” gave him the same rush. He felt focused, he felt alive, he felt invincible. Whether onstage back in high school or in his spandex as an adult, these were the times when Blaine felt at home in his own skin. After years of wondering why he had ever crash-landed on this planet, Blaine finally knew what he was meant to do. He was putting his powers to use, putting his life to use, and making a real difference. For once, Blaine could see himself being happy with his life.

 

After he had made sure the building was safe and helped evacuate every last person from Star Labs to the waiting ambulances outside, Blaine let himself stop for a breathe. That’s when he finally noticed the crowd behind the police cordon. It seemed like every news outlet in the east coast had sent someone to cover the explosion, and they were all yelling for him. Ever since he had been photographed rescuing an experimental shuttle a few weeks before, the whole world wanted to know who he was. Kurt had written one of the first big stories about him, calling him “Metropolis’ Superman,” and the name had stuck. That was the name they were all screaming at him now as Blaine stood in front of the Star Labs building in a bit of a daze.

 

“Superman! Superman! Can we get a statement?”

 

“Superman! Where are you from?”

 

“Superman! What are you here for?”

 

“Superman! What ARE you?”

 

“Superman!”

 

Blaine was overwhelmed. Suddenly he felt a hand on his arm and he whirled around. Facing him down was a tense looking Hispanic police officer that practically snarled at him.

 

“Hey Super stud. Either give us a statement or get out of my hair. I’ve got enough mierda to deal with over here without some loco white boy in his undies drawing a crowd.”

 

Blaine shook himself and gave the woman his best apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, officer. I’m here to help though, just let me know what you need. And… sorry about the reporters.”

 

She sighed at him. “Fine, whatever.” She stuck out her hand. “Captain Santana Lopez. And it’d probably just be better if you flew off or something. There more you stick around a scene like this, the worse it will be for us.”

 

Blaine’s smile dropped. He hadn’t realized that he would cause so much trouble. Captain Lopez immediately noticed his reaction.

 

“Hey, Supes, it’s fine. Stop with the sad puppy eyes. Look, thank you for what you did today. Just because it’s giving me extra paperwork and a killer headache doesn’t mean we’re not all grateful. Got it?”

 

Blaine smiled back sheepishly. “Sorry again, Captain. And really, let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”

 

“Just… keep saving everybody, and try not to get in my way for the clean-up. Oh, and do something about all these freakin’ reporters up in bidniz.”

 

“You got it, Captain!”

 

Blaine turned back towards the crowd of journalists all screaming what now counted as his name. He noticed one of them seemed to be louder than the rest, one that seemed to be getting closer to the edge of the cordon.

 

“OUT OF MY WAY, YOU VULTURES! THIS IS MY STORY, GOT IT!”

 

Blaine tried to keep his smile down as Kurt Hummel pushed his way through the mob.

 

“SUPERMAN! SUPERMAN! KURT HUMMEL, DAILY PLANET!”

 

Blaine knew he couldn’t stop to talk to Kurt, that it would get the attention of all the other reporters. And he was not ready to talk to them, not yet, maybe not ever. He smiled soflty in Kurt’s direction, gave him a wink, and turned to fly. But before he could he heard Kurt curse and jump over the police barricade.

 

“SUPERMAN! WAIT!”

 

Blaine turned around just as Kurt reached him.

 

“Here,” he wheezed out, trying to catch his breath. Kurt shoved a business card into Blaine’s hand. “For when you’re ready.”

 

Blaine grinned at Kurt just as a trio of police officers ran to apprehend him. “Thank you, Mr. Hummel.” Finally he flew off, trying to keep his grin at a minimum as he thought of the card he now held, the one with Kurt’s number, and the blazing blue eyes that had just held his.

 

*******************************************************

 

Across town from Star Labs stood the tallest building in Metropolis: SebCorp Tower. In the penthouse suite of the mammoth edifice were the offices of president and CEO Sebastian Smythe, the youngest Fortune 500 company executive in the world. From his bird’s eye view of the city, Sebastian stood at his window looking down on the people like ants so far below. Suddenly there was a knock on his office door.

 

“Come in”

 

A young woman with straight dark hair bounced into the room, a small but wicked smile on her face.

 

“Here’s the Superman file you asked for, Mr. Smythe. And that reporter from The Star is here to see you.”

 

Sebastian gave his assistant a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you, Harmony. Send him in.”

 

With a nod she flew from the room, replaced a moment later by an older man with tightly curled hair, shifty eyes, and shaking hands.

 

Sebastian looked down on his guest with an air of superiority, a look that seemed so natural on him that he must have been born with it.

 

“Take a seat, Schuester, and let’s talk about this… “superman.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Out of the way, people!” Kurt yelled as he attempted to make his way through the crowded Planet bullpen to his desk, eyes rarely leaving his iPhone. He knew he’d reached his destination when he nearly ran in to Blaine.

 

“Whoa! Kurt, watch out!” Blaine called as Kurt stopped short of barreling in to him.

 

Kurt briefly looked up. “Huh? Oh, sorry, Westerville. Just checking the news cycles, getting up-to-date on what I’ve missed.”

 

“What you’ve missed? You mean while you were asleep?”

 

Kurt’s smile bordered on patronizing. “There’s 24 hours in a day, Anderson, and news never sleeps.”

 

Blaine responded with his usual thousand-watt grin. “Oh, speaking of being asleep, I got you some coffee.” He handed Kurt a Starbucks take-a-way cup. “One grande non-fat mocha.”

 

Kurt’s eyes narrowed slightly as he sat at his desk next to Blaine’s (a recent addition). “You know my coffee order?”

 

“Of course I do. I’ve heard you yell it at the interns enough.” Blaine laughed, “I thought I’d give them a break today.”

 

Kurt huffed a bit at that, but still took the cup. He had never been the type of person to turn down caffeine. Blaine shot Kurt another grin before turning to his computer.

 

Even after a few weeks of working together, Kurt just did not get Blaine Anderson. Years of working at the Planet had taught Kurt that people, in general and especially journalists, were hard and cynical. Kurt had made his way in the world by building up his walls to defend against a nearly daily onslaught of assholes and idiots that tried to bring him down. First it had been the small-minded small-town people he was forced to grow up with on the countless army bases where his father dragged Kurt and his sister. Then it was the cutthroats of the news world that assumed a fashion-loving countertenor could only report on clothes or gossip, that he could never do something serious or worthwhile. But Kurt had showed them all, from his father to some of the more narrow-minded Planet employees, that he was not a man to be messed with. Kurt Hummel was a hard-hitting journalist, one of the top investigative reporters in the world at this point, and he had worked every day of his life to get and maintain that reputation. After all of his clawing and scraping to get to where he was, Kurt had learned a lot about people, from small towns to Metropolis. But Blaine Anderson flew in the face of everything that Kurt knew. Blaine was sincere and enthusiastic and just plain… nice. 

 

“What’s your game, Anderson?”

 

Blaine looked up with wide eyes, a pencil sticking haphazardly out of his mouth. “Huh?” He quickly pulled the pencil away and shook his head. “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean, what’s your game here? Nobody is this nice, especially to the competition.”

 

“Competition? Are we competing for something?”

 

Kurt rolled his eyes. “This is the  ** _Planet_** , Westerville. Everyone here wants the chance to cover the best stories, to be the best.” He still wasn’t sure Blaine understood. “Look, I’ve seen the picture you’ve got on your desk of you and a gaggle of Dead Poets wannbes. Some kind of prep school music group?”

 

Blaine looked over at the photo in question. “Yep, my high school glee club, The Warblers.”

 

“Right. And didn’t you all want to get a solo? I went to enough schools as an army brat and I’ve seen enough glee clubs to know that most performers would kill for the spotlight.”

 

“Kurt, you can sing?” Blaine was giving him one of those excited puppy dog looks again.

 

“Not the point, Westerville. The point is, didn’t you fight for a solo? It’s the same here. Every reporter wants to be the star.”

 

Blaine shook his head. “Actually, I never minded being in the background. Just like I don’t mind not being the ‘star’ here. The Daily Planet is the best paper in the world, just working here and doing my best is enough.”

 

“Ha!” Kurt scoffed at that. “You know you’re kind of a kiss-ass.”

 

“That may be true, but that doesn’t make me any less sincere.” Blaine stood up, smiling down at his partner. “Besides, there was never much competition for solos. I got every one.” Blaine winked and walked away, leaving Kurt looking surprised and a little bit pleased.

 

********************************************************************

 

It didn’t take long for Kurt to realize that, as weird as it was, Blaine simply was that nice of a guy. It was refreshing, really, after so many years of dealing with jerks.

 

“Morning, Westerville.”

 

“Morning, Kurt. Coffee?”

 

“Blaine, you’ve got to stop buying me coffee.”

 

Blaine shrugged. “You can get it next time. I drink a medium drip, in case you were wondering.”

 

“Boring as always, Westerville.”

 

“Sweet as always, Kurt.”

 

The partners smiled at each other across their desks, only to be interrupted by a yell across the bullpen.

 

“HUMMEL! ANDERSON! GET IN HERE!”

 

The duo rushed towards their editor’s office.

 

“God I hope he’s got something good for us. I feel like I’ve been twiddling my thumbs all week.” Kurt mumbled.

 

“Hopefully. Or maybe he’s going to call you out for almost getting killed at that police raid last week.”

 

Kurt glared at Blaine. “That wasn’t my fault. I couldn’t hear over the gunshots, I had to get closer. Besides, Superman swooped in and everything turned out fine.”

 

Blaine shook his head as the reached Burt’s office.

 

“What’s up, Chief?”

 

Burt looked over from his desk. “There’s been a break-in at a Star Labs facility, the one just outside of town. Go check it out.”

 

Kurt beamed, ready for action. “You got it Chief!”

 

Kurt was interrupted before they could leave. “And try to stay out of trouble, kid!”

 

Blaine looked over at Kurt with a wicked grin and a pointed look.

 

Kurt rolled his eyes. “I’ll try. Let’s go, Westerville.”

 

 ********************************************************************

 

 

 

The duo was quickly on their way to the Star Labs facility outside of Metropolis in Kurt’s Navigator.

 

“There better be a scoop here. We’re wasting most of today in transit.”

 

“Do you have somewhere else to be, Kurt?”

 

Kurt shot Blaine a glare. “I keep telling you, Westerville, the news never stops. What if something happens while we’re driving to the sticks? What if Superman saves the day and I miss it?”

 

They were both quiet for a few minutes.

 

“Kurt, you, um… you’ve seen that Superman a few times, right?” Blaine asked, adjusting his glasses.

 

“Obviously, Blaine, you’ve seen my stories. It’s not my fault you seem to prefer doing research and eyewitness interviews over jumping into the action. You do read your own paper, right?”

 

Blaine blushed a bit. “No, I meant… have you talked to him?”

 

“Oh…” Kurt stared forward at the road, shifting uncomfortably. “Well, no. Not exactly. I gave him my card back at the Star Labs explosion and he hasn’t… He did save my life a few times, at the police raid and that robbery and the whole helicopter thing, but as soon as everyone is safe he just flies off without a word.”

 

Blaine turned towards Kurt, looking at him with a mixture of concern and curiosity, but his partner’s eyes never wavered from the road.

 

Kurt sighed almost inaudibly and mumbled, “All this time and he hasn’t even tried to contact me.”

 

They both sat in silence for the rest of the drive.

 

 ******************************************************************

 

When they arrived at the Star Labs facility, they found the site of the robbery surrounded by police tape and a few officers. Both men recognized one officer immediately.

 

“Captain Lopez!” Kurt welcomed warmly.

 

“Beat it, Lady Lips. This is a crime scene, no snoops allowed. And who’s the hobbit?”

 

Kurt sighed. “Santana, this is my partner Blaine Anderson.” Santana raised her eyebrows. “No, not that kind of partner! Get your mind out of the gutter.”

 

Santana grinned wickedly. “Doesn’t matter how many of you are on this story, I can’t let you through.”

 

“What are you even doing here, you’re on Special Crimes. Was there a meta-human involved?”

 

“Hummel, this is facility deals with highly classified materials and has more security than the Pentagon. In cases like this, we assume meta involvement until proven otherwise. And don’t quote me!"

 

Kurt jumped a bit as Santana’s yell, quickly dropping his mini notepad back into his back pocket.

 

Blaine stepped forward and put on his best puppy-dog eyes.

 

“We understand this is an active crime scene, we’re not here to interfere. But is there anything you can give us?”

 

Santana eyed him warily before sighing in resignation. “Fine. I can’t give you anything on the room, but if you happen to see a ginger in a lab coat wiping her eyes in the coffee lounge down the hall, I’d stop and ask her what’s ruined her day. And you ladies owe me, comprende?”

 

Blaine smiled widely. “You got it, Captain!”

 

Santana’s eyes widened and then narrowed at Blaine’s face, her face suddenly crunched in concentration. Neither man noticed though, as Blaine grabbed Kurt by the arm and turned him, both walking down the hall leaving the Captain and the crime scene behind.

 

Right where Santana said she would be, the partners found a petite woman with vibrant orange hair obsessively cleaning a mug of coffee and looking as if she had only just stopped crying.

 

“Excuse me.” Kurt began timidly, but the woman’s head shot up as her doe eyes took in the two men. “My name is Kurt Hummel, I’m from the Daily Planet, and this is my partner Blaine Anderson. We wondered if we could ask you a few questions?” Blaine was momentarily taken aback by Kurt’s calm and gentle tone, but he was used to Kurt surprising him.

 

The woman quickly looked between the two of them, visibly terrified, but she nodded slowly. The two men slowly sat down across from her at the table.

 

Blaine smiling warmly. “What’s your name?”

 

“I’m… Emma. Dr. Emma Pillsbury.”

 

Kurt pulled his notepad back out. “Dr. Pillsbury, your office was broken into last night?”

 

She nodded again. “Yes.”

 

Blaine interjected. “What was taken?”

 

“I’m not entirely sure. The room was ransacked, my files and samples strewn everywhere. I… I’ll be in there all week just trying to decontaminate.”

 

Blaine and Kurt shared a quick look of confusion.

 

Kurt continued. “Were any alarms tripped?”

 

She looked down quickly, rubbing at the mug again. “No, that’s what’s so strange. Whoever it was they… well, they got in without anyone noticing. I have no idea why, my work isn’t so important.”

 

Blaine gently pushed for more information. “Have you noticed anything specific that’s missing?”

 

“There…. Well, some files from one of my projects. Nothing serious, just some specs, early findings. Nothing classified or important just… musings, I guess. Something a few colleagues and I had been tinkering with in our free time this month.”

 

Kurt looked up from his notepad. “What’s the project on?”

 

“It… it’s silly really. Just… ever since the explosion in the city last month….” She paused. “You won’t put my name in the paper, right?”

 

Blaine shook his head. “Not if you don’t want us to.”

 

“I don’t.” She took a deep breath. “Well, the project was sort of about… Superman. His powers, what he can and can’t do from what we’ve seen of him. And… well, what he really is.”

 

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, Emma not looking up from her mug, Kurt staring at his notepad. Blaine had simply leaned back in his chair, his eyes glazed as he tried to keep his breathing steady, his thoughts racing.

 

Kurt was the first to speak. “Thank you for your time, Dr. Pillsbury.”

 

 ********************************************************************

 

The drive back to Metropolis was just as quiet as the ride to the facility.

 

“Kurt… Who do you think took the files?”

 

“Honestly? I have no idea. But someone who really wants to know about Superman. Someone who can get into a high security lab on the off chance that there’s information. I don’t know, but probably someone… bad.”

 

Blaine nodded, though Kurt couldn’t see him with his eyes again on the road.

 

By the time they returned to the office, Blaine had come to a decision.

 

“Kurt, I’m gonna make a quick coffee run. You interested?”

 

“Sure, Westerville. I’ll see you upstairs.”

 

When Kurt reached the 38th floor, he felt an odd draft cross the bullpen. When he reached his desk, he noticed a small note sitting against his computer.

 

          _Dear Mr. Hummel,_

 

_I think it’s time we met. Are you still interested in that interview?_

 

_Meet me on the Daily Planet roof tonight at 8._

 

_-A Friend_


	4. Chapter 4

Blaine stood in front of his bathroom mirror staring hard at his reflection. It was nearing 8 and soon he would be heading to the Planet to meet Kurt. He sighed, trying to stay focused. After a few weeks working together, he just couldn’t stop thinking about his new partner. Kurt was smart, witty, driven, not to mention gorgeous. Blaine had never felt for anyone the way he felt about Kurt. But deep down he knew that nothing could happen between them. He could never be completely honest with Kurt about who he was, what he was, without risking the man he was slowly falling in love with.

Looking at himself dressed in that ridiculous costume his brother made for him, Blaine wondered at how his life had come to this. Though, if he was being honest with himself, as ridiculous as he felt in it sometimes, it was also kind of exhilarating. When Cooper had first shown him the design he had balked.

***********************************************************************

"Coop, I’ll look like an idiot in that. Is that underwear on the outside of the pants? And… bright blue and red? Really?”

“What? They’re the Dalton colors, just made a little brighter. You love Dalton! Plus, it’s like a metaphor or something, since you’re bright and happy.“ Coop grinned at him and Blaine couldn’t argue with him.

“It looks really tight, though.”

“More aerodynamic.”

“What’s with the S on it?”

“That’s not an S, B. It’s from the blanket mom and dad found you wrapped in. It’s this weird symbol that kind of looks like and S, I just couldn’t get it right. Want me to take it off?”

“Oh… um…” Blaine hadn’t been sure. It did look like the letter S, and he had no idea what that could stand for. Superhero? But he kind of liked that it tied him back to where he came from, that place he had never seen and couldn’t remember. He loved his family, especially Cooper, but he had spent so much time wondering what his home world had been like and what his parents would have thought of him. He wanted to make them proud, and maybe wearing their symbol while helping people would do that. At least, he hoped it would. He liked to think they were the kind of people that appreciated that. Cooper was, and it meant so much to Blaine that he was helping him with all of this. If Coop thought the S thing was a good idea, then he’d keep it. 

“No, it’s okay, we can keep it.”

“Great! And you’re sure about the no mask thing?”

“Totally. It’s the only thing I am sure of. People need to trust me and not think I’m some costumed psycho, especially since I’ll be like, flying around and shooting lasers from my eyes. They need to be able to see my face and know I’m there to help them. I can’t hide away from the people I’m saving.”

Cooper had smiled at that. “You got it, B. Courage.”

 *********************************************************************

In front of his mirror in his apartment in Metropolis, Blaine smiled at the memory. As much as he had loved wearing brightly colored outfits once he was free of his Dalton uniform, putting on a suit like his took a bit of courage. But considering what it let him do, it wasn’t such a hard thing to do. As Superman he could do all the things that Blaine Anderson never could. Not only was he able to save lives, he was finally able to be himself. No hair gel taming his curls, no uniform stifling his style, no quiet exterior to keep him seeming normal, and no need to try and hide his powers. For the first time in his life Blaine was free to be himself completely, and it was such a rush that it almost made him cry.

**********************************************************************

As a kid, all Blaine ever seemed to do was hide. The Andersons hadn’t been bad parents, they were kind enough to take him in when they found him in that field, but there was no way to prepare them for raising a super-powered son. As Blaine’s powers developed over time, his parents were at a loss.

“Just try not to use them, sweetie.”

“They could get you in trouble. The government could take you away, or you could hurt someone.” 

“Just stay quiet, keep your head down, and everything will be alright.”

And so he did. As he grew and could do more and more amazing things, he kept them all to himself. He stopped telling his parents when a new power developed; he was too ashamed. He knew they loved him, but they also loved being a normal family, and with Blaine for a son that was something they could never really be. The only person that Blaine could really talk to was Cooper.

“Hey Blainers, why the long face?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

“B, no ten year old should look that sad. What’s wrong? Some kid take your lunch money?” 

“No. None… none of the other kids really talk to me.”

“Oh. Is that what’s getting you down?”

“I guess.”

“Blaine, tell me what’s wrong.”

Blaine looked up at his brother with watery eyes. Cooper had never seen his sunny little brother like this before. From the moment an eight-year-old Coop and his parents had found baby Blaine in a crater in Shuster Field he had been a smiley and happy kid. Seeing that face filled with so much pain and sadness made Cooper’s heart ache.

“Oh Blainers.” Cooper grabbed his brother in a tight hug. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. You can always tell me anything, got it? I’m your big brother, and I’m here for you no matter what.”

“But… But Coop, you’re not really my brother. I’m not from here. I’m a freak.”

Cooper pulled back to look his brother in the eye, his face determined.

“No Blaine, you’re not a freak. You’re amazing. You’re special. And no matter where you’re from or what you can do, you will always be my brother. I was the first person on this damn planet to see you and that makes us family.  I changed your diapers, I walked you to the first day of school, I held your hand when there were thunderstorms. You’re my brother and nothing on this or any other planet can change that. Got it?”

Blaine nodded, tears beginning to stream silently down his face.

“Good. Now, tell me, what’s all this about?

“I… I just…” Blaine took a deep breathe. “It’s just really hard, not ever using my powers and pretending that I’m normal. And not having anyone to talk to at school and not wanting to make things hard for Mom and Dad. It’s just really, really hard, Coop.”

Cooper hugged his brother again, mostly so Blaine couldn’t see the tears forming in his eyes. 

“Blaine, I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have to worry about that stuff. You should just be able to go and be a kid. But listen, you can always come to me with anything, you got that? I’m your friend, and I want to know all about your powers.” He pulled back to look Blaine in the eye again. “You don’t have to pretend with me, you just have to be yourself. So go on, show me what you can do.”

Cooper smiled at Blaine, who gave a timid smile in reply.

“Well… last week I found out I can hear things that are really quiet or really far away. Plus on the way home from school I out-ran a train!  I can go really fast now!”

“That’s great, B! Wanna go outside and I’ll time you?”

“Yeah! Let’s do it!” And in that moment Blaine’s grin was so wide and bright that it rivaled the sun.

Things with Blaine seemed to get much better over the next few years. He felt less pressured since he had Cooper to help him through. After school they would talk about Blaine’s day, his powers, basically anything and everything. With his brother to support him and keep him from cracking under the pressure, Blaine even started making friends at school. Cooper decided to stay nearby for college, coming home on the weekends from Ohio State to check on Blaine. Everything seemed great, Blaine’s steadily increasing powers were being handled and he seemed happy and well adjusted. But then he hit puberty.

When Blaine was 14 everything changed.

One day Cooper was waiting in the kitchen reading the paper when Blaine got home from school. Coop noticed immediately that his brother had a familiar look on his face, the same he had whenever he’d developed a new power. But this time it was laced with something else, a mixture of fear and anxiety. He hadn’t seen Blaine look this anxious in years. 

“Hey Blainers. What amazing feat are we adding to the list this week?” Cooper asked, trying to keep the mood light.

Blaine looked directly at him with teary but resolute eyes. He’d obviously been going over something in his mind and had come to some decision.

“I’m gay, Coop.”

Cooper put the paper down and turned towards his brother.

“I mean… I think I’m gay. I just… I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I… I don’t like girls the way that the other guys at school do. And I keep noticing some of the other guys even though I try not to. And when I think about kissing and stuff it’s always… it’s always other guys.” Blaine spoke in a rush, like he couldn’t get the words out fast enough, as if it hurt him somehow to keep them inside. Cooper realized that it probably did.

“Blaine, come here.” 

Cooper opened his arms and hugged his brother close, just like he always did when things seemed too much for his unique but wonderful baby brother.

“It’s okay, Blaine. There’s nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with you. I promise, everything is going to be fine.”

Blaine pulled back, wiping his eyes.

“Yeah, I figured you’d say something like that.” He said with a smile.

Coop grinned in response. “Well, I’d never lie to you, B.”

They were both quiet for a few minutes.

“So B, when are you gonna tell Mom and Dad?”

Blaine blanched. “I’m… I’m not.”

“Blaine, this is serious. You can’t keep something like this from them.” 

“But… I don’t talk to them about my new powers. Ever. So why would I tell them about this?”

“Blaine, this isn’t like when you got x-ray vision last year, or when you broke the sound barrier over the summer, or last week when you blew a hole through the fence with your eyes. This isn’t a power thing; this is a human thing. This is about who you are and who you love.”

“But Coop… I love you.”

“I love you too, B, but one day you’re gonna grow up and meet a great guy and you’ll want to be with him. And that’s why you need to tell Mom and Dad.”

Blaine sighed. “I keep my powers a secret, why can’t this be a secret too? What good will it do?” 

Cooper thought for a moment, taking in Blaine’s wide eyes and his scared expression. For the millionth time he wished that things were different, that his little brother didn’t have the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He grabbed hold of Blaine’s hands and looked him right in the eye, not looking away, not even blinking.

“Blaine. We both know that you’re meant to do amazing things. All those things you can do? The… gifts that you have? You’re going to be a hero someday. And yeah, right now as a kid in Westerville, Ohio you can’t do much. But even if you’re the only person who can bench-press a mack truck, you’re not the only gay kid. Blaine, I don’t want to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with, but this is your chance B: Your chance to be a hero without outracing trains or catching bullets. You can do so much good, B. You just need to believe that you can. I know that I do. I’ve always believed in you.”

Blaine closed his eyes and sighed again.

“O… okay, Coop. Okay.”

After that, Cooper prayed that everything would be all right. But deep down he knew it wouldn’t be that easy. A few weeks later all of his worst fears came true.

It was a Friday night and Cooper was home for the weekend. He knew all about Blaine’s plans to go to Westerville High’s Sadie Hawkins dance with a friend, but had gotten home after the boys had gone. His parents had left for an early dinner, and later Coop would thank all the gods he’d ever heard of that he was the one home when the call came through. 

“Mr. Anderson? There’s been an incident with Blaine.”

Cooper broke every traffic law in Ohio in his rush to get to the school. For the first time in his life he wished he was the one with super speed. When he found Blaine hunched over in a plastic chair outside of the principal’s office he ran to him and buried him in a hug.

“Oh my god, Blaine. What happened?” 

“I’m so sorry, Coop. I tried so hard, I really did.” Blaine sobbed into his brother’s shirt." 

“C’mon, we’re going home.” 

Cooper didn’t even glance at the principal as he pulled his brother to the door. The drive home was quiet save for a few choked sobs from Blaine. Once they were home and Cooper sat Blaine down on the couch, it was like the floodgates opened. Blaine simply crumbled as he told Cooper what had happened.

“Pete and I went to the dance, and I thought everything was gonna be fine. No one said anything to us when we got there and we didn’t slow dance or anything, we just danced with some friends and it was really fun. But then this guy kept giving us looks, and, like, the whole school seemed to know about me being gay and Pete was getting really uncomfortable so we were gonna leave and come home to play video games or something but then…” Blaine choked back another sob. “Then… they followed us to the parking lot and there were five of them and they pushed Pete down and started to kick him and I tried to stop them and they pushed me back and… and… Coop I’m so sorry, I tried so hard!”

Cooper pulled Blaine in for another hug, holding him fiercely; tight enough that it hurt him. But he knew it couldn’t hurt Blaine. “What happened, Blaine?” _what did you do?_

“I… I didn’t want to hurt anybody, Coop. But I didn’t want them to keep hurting Pete. I was so scared, I didn’t know what to do. They pushed me down and Pete was screaming and they were yelling and calling us fags and… I knew you told me I could be a hero but I didn’t know how. I just… I just got so scared and then so mad, they were so hateful and they hurt Pete and… and I just snapped. I jumped up and I pushed them away from Pete and I don’t know what happened I did it all so fast. They were all on the ground and they were all hurt and Pete was still screaming and I didn’t know what to do, Coop.”

Cooper began rocking Blaine back and forth.

“It’s okay, Blaine. It’s okay.”

“What if I… oh god, Coop, what did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything. The principal told me. The boys are fine, a few broken bones and some scratches, nothing serious. They broke one of Pete’s ribs but they’ll be okay. You won’t get in any trouble, Pete told them that whatever you did was in self-defense. You just… you were so fast, none of them saw you do it.”

“Coop… oh god Coop. I can’t be a hero. I can’t do it. I should never have come out.”

Cooper’s heart broke.

“Blaine…”

“No, no Cooper!” Blaine pulled back and looked up at his brother defiantly. “Don’t tell me that it’s going to be okay. Don’t lie to me like that. I just… I need to go back to hiding. I need to try and pass for straight, I can’t let this happen again. I could’ve killed those guys, Coop.”

“No. No way, B. You can’t do that, you can’t hide who you are like that!”

“What’s the difference?” Blaine stood up, eyes blazing and chest heaving. “I pass for human and I’m not. How is this any different? I’m not human, I’m not straight, I’m not normal, and I’m not okay. I need to just pretend that I am. I need to pretend so that I don’t… don’t run everything.” Blaine’s face crumbled. “Oh god, Coop. I’m not… I can’t… I have to hide it all or…”

All Cooper wanted to do was cry, but his brother needed him right now, he needed him to be strong. He wiped his eyes and grabbed hold of Blaine’s face, looking him directly in the eye. 

“No, Blaine. No. You already hide way too much. If you keep doing that then… then you’ll never have a life. And you deserve to have a life. A great one; one where you can be yourself and be happy. So no, I won’t let you pretend like that. Sure, you can’t use your powers in public but you should never have to hide who you really are. And you know what that is? Who you are is Blaine Anderson, my dopey kid brother. You’re smart, you’re funny, and you have the worst fashion sense of any gay kid I’ve ever met. You’re vibrant and you’re optimistic and you always see the best in people. You make me smile everyday, Blaine. And I know, I know that you’re going to be a hero. Hell, you’re already my hero. And I know it’s going to be hard sometimes, but I still believe in you, B. I believe that you’d never hurt anyone, and in a few years you’ll be able to control yourself better and you won’t hurt anyone. None of this is your fault, B, and you can’t blame yourself. Please, don’t blame yourself. Have courage, B. Have courage.”

Tears were streaming down Blaine’s face. “But Coop, what am I gonna do?”

Cooper knew what he meant. “Well, first you’re gonna change into your pajamas and we’re going to have a Disney movie marathon. With ice cream. And then Monday morning you’re going to start at Dalton.” Cooper recently began teaching drama at Dalton Academy, a private school with a zero tolerance bullying policy. Blaine would be safe there, and he wouldn’t have a need to lose his temper. “Don’t worry, I promise not to embarrass you.” Blaine gave Coop a watery smile. “And then… I promise, B, I’m gonna come up with a way that you won’t have to hide anymore. A way that you can be a hero and be yourself at the same time.” He hugged his brother close again. “I’ve got your back, B, and I always will.” 

Finally, after years of struggle, Blaine’s life was looking up. He loved Dalton and the friends he made there. No one bothered him about being gay, they all just loved him for being Blaine. He avoided the theatre department and any implied nepotism, but he thrived in the student-led a capella group The Warblers. Cooper loved to watch him sing, and often told Blaine that he was a born performer. That’s what gave him the first spark, the seed of an idea that grew over the years.

“I got it, Blaine. I know what you’ll need to do!”

Cooper explained his plan while Blaine stared at him incredulously. Had his brother finally lost it?

“You want me to wear a costume?”

“Yeah, like The Phantom or Zorro. It’s perfect! You can use your powers to help people and still have a life.”

“Oh… I… shoot, that kind of sounds like it could work. Wait… what do you mean by costume?”

********************************************************************* 

Blaine eyed himself in the mirror once more. Leave it to Cooper to give him the most outlandish outfit imaginable. But it had worked, he was doing it. Blaine was finally able to be himself and he was able to be the hero that Coop always believed he could be.

Looking back, Blaine knew that it couldn’t have been easy raising him. His childhood and adolescence was one big blur of pain and fear, but Cooper had been his strength.

But now it was Blaine’s turn to be the strong one, to show Cooper that his belief was not unfounded. Now Blaine was going to go out there and begin to put his trust, even just a little bit of it, in another person. Through Kurt he could get enough information to the city that hopefully they would trust him so he could keep doing his job.

And if there was something brewing, someone gathering information on him, Blaine was going to need an ally.

But really, more than wanting the city’s trust, more than wanting help, Blaine just wanted more time with Kurt. And that, of course, was the scariest part of it.

Blaine took a steadying breath as he stared down his reflection.

“Courage.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

Kurt was pacing back and forth across the roof of the Daily Planet, hands fidgeting at his sides as he tried to keep his breathing in check.

 

“You’ll be fine,” he muttered to himself. “You’ll be fine, totally fine, completely fine.”

 

He stopped and stared up at the cloudless night sky.

 

“Shit.”

 

Kurt continued his pacing beneath the Planet’s slowly rotating golden symbol, a replica of the Earth emblazoned with the paper’s name that shone brightly as a beacon for the city beneath. It was, in fact, Kurt’s favorite place in Metropolis. He loved coming up to the roof and looking out at the city, the bustle and noise quieted to a low hum. It was the perfect spot to stop and think, to reevaluate. But tonight Kurt’s thoughts were one giant jumble, with only one thread connecting them: Superman.

 

From the first moment he had seen the red and blue clad hero fly by, Kurt couldn’t stop thinking about him. Kurt prided himself on his worldliness, his inability to be surprised. He thought he understood his world and everyone in it. But Superman blew all of his assumptions away. First off, he was a man  _who could fly_. He had powers that no human being did. But more than that, he used those powers to help people. Kurt obviously believed in being a good person, in doing his best to make the world a decent place. He had left fashion journalism for investigation because that was where he could make a difference. He hoped that his reporting helped make Metropolis a better place by routing out corruption, but he wasn’t deluded. First and foremost he wrote because he loved it, it wasn’t a wholly selfless act. Kurt had never known a person that was that selfless. Even growing up amongst soldiers, who were undeniably all heroes, he had never met a person who was truly… good. But then here was this man that did everything in his power, power heretofore unknown on Earth, to help people that he had never met. He dedicated his entire life to the point of losing his own identity.

 

Kurt stopped pacing to stare out into the city, the buildings aglow like Christmas trees. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves as he took in the sight of his favorite city. He felt like an idiot, pacing the rooftop like a teenage girl before a first date.  

 

“Seriously Hummel,” he chided himself, “just because he’s probably the nicest person on the planet, and he’s saved your life, and he can FLY, and he’s ripped, and dear god those tights….” He shook his head. “ _Anyway_ , just because he seems perfect does not mean you can be unprofessional about this. Pull yourself together, you’re a Pulitzer-nominated journalist, you’re Kurt fucking Hummel, and this is just an interview… I mean, it’s not like he’d have feelings for you anyway. He’s probably straight. Even though he does wear the campiest outfit I’ve ever seen… But even if he wasn’t, he’s a superhero. They don’t date. And I’m probably not even his type…” 

 

Kurt’s mumbling trailed off as he got lost in his own thoughts. Suddenly, a swift breeze and a whooshing sound blew across the roof. Kurt turned on the spot and looked up just in time to see Superman hovering before him.

 

“Good evening, Mr. Hummel.”

 

 “Um… hi…” Kurt coughed. “I mean… hello. Uh, what should I… what should I call you?”

 

_Great Kurt, very professional, not idiotic at all. How did you even get this job? Focus!_

Blaine smiled down at him. “Well, I guess the name you gave me is as good as any. I don’t want to seem immodest, though…”

 

“Since you’re currently floating in midair, I think the name fits, Superman.”

 

Blaine blushed slightly. “Thank you, Mr. Hummel.” He slowly lowered himself to stand on the roof in front of Kurt, though still an inch or so off the ground to maintain the illusion of extra height. Kurt didn’t notice. “So, I figured there must be a lot of questions about me that people would like to know the answers to.”

 

Kurt nodded, pulling his notebook and a pen out of his back pocket. “Right. Well, I guess we could start with your vital statistics.”

 

“Vital statistics?”

 

“Yes, like your age?”

 

“Well, I’m older than 21….”

 

Kurt looked up. “Oh… I guess you don’t want people to know…. If there’s anything you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to.” He looked into the hero’s eyes, trying to convey a sense of trust to put him at ease, to make it clear that Kurt was on his side.

 

Blaine nodded. Neither of them spoke for a moment, but their eyes stayed locked. Kurt had originally thought Superman’s eyes were simply a hazel, but he now realized they contained every color imaginable, blues and greens and yellows mixed with deep browns and honey. They were most magnetic eyes he had ever seen.

 

“Um… Mr. Hummel, you can ask me another question, if you’d like.”

 

“How big are you?” Blaine’s eyes widened. Kurt made a small gasp, shaking his head quickly and looking down at his notes in embarrassment. “I mean… how  _tall_  are you?”

 

Blaine looked down towards his feet, trying not to blush. He had no desire to tell Kurt how tall, or more accurately short, he really was. “Maybe we could skip the vital statistics.”

 

“Right. So, you can fly, you’re super strong, you’re super fast, impervious to pain… anything else?”

 

“Well, I if we’re going with the adjective “super,” I have super hearing. And I guess super vision? I can see far away and very close, like a telescope and a microscope.”

 

Kurt jotted all of this into his notebook, mumbling “telescopic vision, microscopic vision…”

 

“Um… I have heat vision. Which is nice, it means I don’t need to own a microwave.” Blaine chuckled a bit, attempting at humor, but Kurt was in his journalistic zone. “And x-ray vision.”

 

Kurt looked up. “X-ray vision?”

 

Blaine nodded. “Yep. I can, uh, see through things.”

 

Kurt’s eyes widened. Without even thinking he dropped his notebook to cover his crotch, mentally thanking his past self for putting on black boxer-briefs that morning instead of his more garish, but more comfortable, pink underwear. Blaine’s eyes followed Kurt’s notebook down, but immediately popped right back up to Kurt’s face, schooling his own into a neutral expression as he tried not to think about what had just happened.

 

“Um, and uh… oh, and ice breath.”

 

That worked to break the tension. Kurt laughed incredulously. “Ice breath? That’s ridiculous.”

 

Blaine laughed sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess it is. Comes in handy when I need to keep a drink cold.”

 

“So you’re a beer kind of guy?”

 

“Not usually. Besides, I never drink when I fly.”

 

Kurt’s heart flip-flopped in his chest. The more he talked to this man, the more his crush grew. He was just so charming and endearing. Kurt couldn’t believe that someone who flew around the city shooting lasers from his eyes like a mythical god could be so… likeable.

 

Kurt looked over at this puzzling man, his incredulity clear on his face. “Where do you come from?” he asked quietly, without thinking.

 

“I’m from, um, pretty far away”

 

“Oh.”

 

Neither of them spoke for a moment as the information set in.

Blaine was the first to speak. “I mean, I grew up… here. But Does that… does that bother you?”

 

Kurt thought for a moment, his eyes on his notebook. Here was this amazing man who spent his time saving people he didn’t know, a man who was charming and sweet and, yes, incredibly good-looking. Did it matter that he wasn’t human? Hell, he was better than most humans, he was a hero.

 

Kurt looked up, meeting Blaine’s eyes and giving him a reassuring smile. “Of course not.”

 

Blaine seemed to visibly relax, smiling back at Kurt.

 

Kurt suddenly realized they had gone off-topic and his professional demeanor was quickly failing. He cleared his throat. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, and this is just for, you know, inquiring readers: why are you here?”

 

Blaine chuckled. “Well, would it be too corny if I said I was here to fight for truth and justice?”

 

Kurt snorted. “Yeah, probably.”

 

“It’s true, though. I mean, I can leap tall buildings in a single bound and outrun a bullet, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I just sat back and let bad things happen when I could easily help out.”

 

Kurt was baffled. “How are you even real?” he mumbled.

 

“Um, sorry?”

 

“I mean, really. I’ve seen a lot in my life but I have never met anyone as moral as you. You’re like… you’re like some hero from a Saturday morning kids’ cartoon show. It’s insane.”

 

“Well, I do fly around in a cape, I guess it comes with the territory.”

 

Kurt had to stop himself from melting at Blaine’s self-deprecating grin.

 

“Besides, Mr. Hummel,-“

 

“Kurt. You’ve saved my life enough times, you can call me Kurt.”

 

“Alright, Kurt. Besides, hopefully by doing what I can to make the world a better place, I can be a role model for the people of Metropolis. Maybe more people will do good if they see me doing it.”

 

“Wow, you’re more idealistic than Blaine.”

 

Blaine’s eyes widened at the mention of his name, but he tried to cover it with a shy smile.

 

“So, who’s Blaine?”

 

“Oh, um, he’s no one. Just a guy I work with. You’d get along, he’s a big boy scout just like you are.”

 

Blaine couldn’t help himself. He stepped forward towards Kurt. “Ah. So this idealistic reporter is just… a friend?”

 

Kurt gulped as he realized just how close they were now standing, his eyes darting from Blaine’s to his broad chest and back again.

 

“Yes. Just friends. He’s, um, not my type.”

 

Blaine gave Kurt a sly grin. “So… if I’m not being too forward… what is your type?”

 

Kurt’s eyes widened.  _Is Superman flirting with me?!_

Blaine had no idea what was compelling him to flirt with Kurt. He chalked it up to momentary insanity caused by the reporter’s dazzling blue eyes and his far too-tight pants.

 

Kurt’s brain seemed to have short-circuited. For once in his life, he couldn’t find the right words. All he could do was stare at the tempting lips of the man in front of him.

 

Blaine’s smile dropped at Kurt’s deer-in-headlights expression. He took a step back.

 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Hummel. That was too forward of me.”

 

Kurt took a deep breath, thinking a bit easier now that there was more space between them. He also noticed that Blaine was near the edge of the roof, looking as if he about to leave.

 

“Oh no, no, it’s fine! Please don’t go yet!”

 

Blaine gave him a curious look. “Do you have any more questions?”

 

Kurt sighed. He knew he had enough to write a decent front-page, above the fold, piece that would have the whole city talking. But also wasn’t ready to say good-bye yet.

 

“Listen, I’m not going to pretend that I know what it’s like, being able to do what you do, going out everyday and risking yourself to save people you’ve never met. But I do know that it has to be hard, especially when you can’t even use your real name or have a personal life.”

 

Blaine smiled softly. Kurt continued to surprise him. He knew he was falling hard and fast for this man.

 

“Anyway, if you ever need to talk, totally off the record, I’m here. Remember that you have a…” (Kurt couldn’t stop his eyes from roving once more over the tight-fitted costume)“-friend. You have a friend.”

 

Kurt stepped forward and put out his hand to shake, his eyes back on Blaine’s. Blaine tried to quiet the butterflies in his stomach as he shook Kurt’s hand, ignoring the feel of electricity between them and the smell of Kurt that was so potent when they stood so close.

 

“Thank you Mr. Hummel. I mean, Kurt. I look forward to reading the article.”

 

Blaine gave one last smile before he slowly lifted off the roof and turned to fly off. Kurt stood beneath him, staring up in awe, frozen in place for a good five minutes as the events of the interview played back in his mind.

 

_Holy shit. I just interviewed Superman. SUPERMAN! And wow, he’s unbelievable. And not just the flying and ice breath. And seriously, who has ice breath? Oh wow, Blaine is going to be so jealous. I bet Superman is his little idealist hero. But who can blame him? The guy is basically perfect. And hot. Shit, was he hot. And was he… flirting? No. No way. He wouldn’t…_

Kurt stared out into the sky, trying to see if he could glimpse a flying figure amidst the Metropolis skyline. As he thought back to the man he had just interviewed, he made a startling revelation.

 

“Holy crap… I know that suit was tight but… oh yeah, he was **definitley**  flirting…”


	6. Chapter 6

The whole city was buzzing when Kurt’s interview hit newsstands. The Planet was fielding calls all day as papers around the world asked to print the story. Kurt was busy keeping court at his desk, lording the article over his peers with a smug expression.  
  
“That’s right, there’re even rumors of a Pulitzer nomination!”  
  
Blaine walked over to their shared workstation, the usual two cups of coffee in hand, smiling softly at Kurt’s boisterously proud speeches.  
  
“Well, just don’t forget us little people.”  
  
Kurt smiled at Blaine, grabbing his mocha and taking a long sip. “Don’t worry, Westerville, I’ll still let you sharpen my pencils when I win my Pulitzer.”  
  
As Kurt spent the morning glowing over his journalistic triumph, Blaine spent the morning quietly at his desk trying to not go slowly insane.  
  
As his eyes kept drifting over his computer screen over towards Kurt, Blaine’s thoughts were in a constant whirl.  
  
Okay, what was that last night? We were flirting and he called himself a friend and… What was I thinking, flirting with him? Five minutes interacting without the hair gel and glasses and I become a horny teenager. Smooth, Anderson, way to be a cool and controlled superhero. Oh man, that suit is so tight, I hope he couldn’t tell… Why did I EVER let Cooper dress me in that? “Aerodynamic” my butt. Ugh, which Kurt saw all of last night when I left. Shoot, is he looking at me? Eyes on the computer, eyes on the computer. What am I even working on right now? Not like it matters, everyone is still re-reading that article. Ok, so I was obviously flirting last night, but he was definitely flirting back and… What does THAT mean? He said “friends but…” Blaine’s eyes widened. Oh no. Kurt likes me. No, Kurt likes Superman. Not Blaine the quiet coffee-runner, but the guy in the cape who can fly and has heat vision and flirts. And who’s tall. Oh great, now I’m jealous of myself! Blaine rested his head on his arms. This is the problem with having a double identity!  
  
A beeping from his computer shook Blaine out of his downward spiral. It was his sound alert for e-mails tagged “important,” and there was a new e-mail in his inbox from Captain Lopez:

*********  
Hobbit- _  
  
I got some interesting info for you and your pretty-boy partner. The Purell-addicted scientist whose lab was robbed is apparently dating a reporter named Will Schuester. Guess who just got reported missing? And since Metropolis is suddenly getting all wet over Lady Hummel’s article and we all know what went missing…  
  
Listen ladies, you got a line to the Big Guy. I don’t want my name connected to some shitty Planet expose, but just use your little Nancy Drew powers and keep the big Boy Scout informed for me, got it?  
  
-Captain Lopez _

**************  
  
Blaine quickly forwarded the e-mail to Kurt and watched from across their desks as his partner read it, eyes widening as he went.  
  
“Blaine.” Kurt looked up at him.  
  
“Not sure why she sent it to me, but I guess you can let you super-pal know.”  
  
Blaine looked away at Kurt’s suddenly red face.  
  
“He’s not… we’re not…”  
  
“It’s fine, Kurt. But you know, there’s a story here. If you want to do more than just bask in your 15 minutes of journalistic fame.”  
  
Kurt’s eyes narrowed at Blaine’s sudden hostility.  
  
“Listen, Anderson, I work damn hard at this paper, and don’t you forget it. Now come on, we’re going to Schuester’s place.”  
  
Kurt grabbed his coat and stalked toward the door as Blaine hurried to follow. They were silent until they reached Kurt’s car.  
  
“Um, do you, um, know who this Schuester guy is?”  
  
“Yeah, he worked at the Planet a while back but he was lazy and a little bit slow. Plus he wore the most god-awful sweater vests. Anyway, last I heard he was fired and had been working over at the Star.”  
  
The Metropolis Star was the Planet’s main rival when it came to sales, but where the Daily Planet was world-renowned for its high quality and integrity, the Star was nothing more than a gossip rag.  
  
The duo spent the day trying to find a lead on Schuester, but they kept coming up empty. Their easy camaraderie was also gone. Kurt shifted between being angry with Blaine for his hostility and wondering what in the world had upset his usually mild-mannered friend. Blaine was simply lost in his own head, trying to decipher if he was indeed in a two-person love triangle with his partner and trying to ignore the cold feeling in his stomach that Schuester’s disappearance had something to do with him.  
***************************************************************************  
  
Over in the penthouse of SebCorp Tower, Sebastian Smythe was in a decidedly good mood.  
  
“Harmony,” he barked at his assistant. “Where are we on the Schuester problem?”  
  
“It’s been dealt with, Sir,” she responded with a small yet maniacal smile. “And the Project is all on schedule.”  
  
“Good. Let the lab know that I want a full report tomorrow on their progress and an estimated time until they’re ready.”  
  
“Yes, Sir.”  
  
Sebastian turned to face the windows that lined his office wall, smiling over the city possessively as his plans fell into place around him.

******************************************************  
  
That night, alone in his apartment, Kurt was drowning his sorrows in a piece of cheesecake while wondering how his life had become so complicated. His partner, who was arguably also his best friend, was mad at him for no reason. Plus he may or may not be falling in love with a super-powered alien who may or may not have been flirting with him a few nights earlier.  
  
I thought newsroom dramas were supposed to be full of quipy banter and less emotional confusion, he thought. All those classic films lied to me. I bet Hildy Johnson never had to go through this kind of shit.  
  
Did Superman like him? He’d been very flirty on the roof, and, unless Kurt was imagining things, there was a definite bulge in his super-shorts by the end. But even if he did like Kurt, there was no way he’d act on it. He was a superhero, he did superheroic things, and those things did not include an attractive and talented but otherwise utterly average human reporter. Even if Kurt was more and more sure that he had fallen head over heels for the enigmatic hero. Kurt sighed, deciding to ignore the tangle that was his non-existent love life with Superman for now and focus on why Blaine was so upset.  
  
He couldn’t be jealous of the article. Blaine’s not the type to go all green-eyed-monster over my success; he’s not the Brutus type. But everything was fine before the article. He did make that “super-pal” comment. Maybe he has a secret thing for Superman? Hell, every gay man and straight woman in Metropolis has a thing for Superman, the guy is sex on a stick! Blaine knows that. Maybe… shit, maybe Blaine isn’t jealous of me, maybe he… likes me?  
  
Kurt shook his head, not wanting to think those kinds of thoughts or further complicate his friendship with Blaine. Kurt knew he wasn’t always the most likable guy or the easiest person to be around. He could be cold and bitchy and he kept his heart hidden behind a metaphorical Great Wall. His whole life was the Planet, and he had almost no friends there. Just the Chief, though Burt was more of a father-figure than a friend, and Mercedes Jones, the food and theater critic that he bonded with back in his Life and Style days. He didn’t want anything making his friendship with Blaine awkward. He couldn’t afford to lose what they had.  
  
Kurt sighed, getting up to dig through his freezer for more dessert. This problem definitely called for a whole cheesecake.  
  
*************************************************************************

  
While Kurt was busy eating his feelings, Blaine’s head was still whirling with his own part in the Blaine/Kurt/Superman debacle. Instead of resorting to baked goods, he went in search of some brotherly advice.  
  
“Blainey! Welcome home, little brother.” Cooper grabbed him in a bear hug the moment Blaine walked through the back door. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this surprise visit from Metropolis’ #1 hero?” Blaine could see that Cooper had cut out the interview and taped it onto the fridge, which was also covered with Blaine’s own Daily Planet articles.  
  
“Hey Coop. I just, you know, got homesick.”  
  
Cooper grinned at his brother, pulling him over to sit at the table as he grabbed them both cans of coke from the fridge.  
  
“You can’t fool me, Squirt. You always come running to me when you’ve got a problem that you can’t punch your way out of. So, what’s the problem? Actually, let me take a guess here, what’s his name?”  
  
Blaine sputtered into his soda. “Wha.. um, what makes you think there’s a guy?”  
  
“Blaine, you’re in your 20s, and you have a good job, and there hasn’t been a natural disaster or a super villain attack in a week. Of course it’s a guy. What the hell else could it be?”  
  
Blaine sighed. “Kurt. His name is Kurt.”  
  
“That guy from work, the one who interviewed you?”  
  
“Yeah. He’s kinda of my best friend.”  
  
“But….”  
  
“But I’m also kind of in love with him.”  
  
“Blainey! That’s great!”  
  
“Not really. He’s likes somebody else.”  
  
“Oh, that really sucks, B-.”  
  
“-He likes Superman,” Blaine interrupted.  
  
“Oh.”  
  
The brothers sat in silence for a few moments, both staring intently at their sodas.  
  
Cooper was the first to speak. “What if you, you know, told him the truth?”  
  
“I can’t do that, he could be in danger. This whole secret identity thing is a lot more complicated than we originally thought.”  
  
“You know, B, the whole point of you having this ‘secret identity thing’ is so you can have a life, and that includes a love life.”  
  
“But Coop, he doesn’t like me like that. Not me. He likes superhero, the taller and stronger and super version of me. He… he likes a fantasy. And I can’t be that for him. I’m just Blaine.”  
  
“I know, B. And that really does suck.”  
  
Blaine dropped his head into his hands.  
  
Cooper suddenly stood up. “Wait, I got it!” he said, pointing at Blaine.  
  
“Got what?”  
  
“A plan. What you need, little brother, is to go find somebody else.”  
  
“Coop, that sounds like a horrible idea.”  
  
“No, it’s awesome. You’re going to go back and find another guy and date him. Seriously, go find someone that you like that likes you back. It’ll help you get over Kurt. And hey, maybe seeing you with someone else will make Kurt insanely jealous.” Cooper waggled his eyebrows and Blaine couldn’t help but laugh.  
  
“Fine, maybe. But what do I do about Kurt as Superman?”  
  
Cooper shrugged. “You said it yourself, B. Superman’s a fantasy. He’s there so you can save people and be true to yourself, but he can’t exactly have a relationship. Just try to let the guy down gently, I guess.”  
  
Blaine groaned. “That’s what I was afraid you’d say.”


	7. Chapter 7

Over the next few days at work, both Kurt and Blaine made a concentrated effort to be friendly, which left most of their interactions a little stilted. But Blaine still brought their coffees every morning, Kurt still took the lead on all of their projects,  and both men were relieved that their friendship was still intact, if somewhat awkward.  
  
“Hey, Westerville!” Kurt called over to Blaine, one hand typing furtively at his computer and the other gripping tightly to his cup of mocha. “How many L’s are in ambivalent?”  
  
There was no answer from his partner’s desk.  
  
“Westerville?” Kurt put down his cup and stood up, seeing Blaine’s empty desk. He did a sweep of the bullpen, searching for his partner. He found him standing by the watercooler with an unfamiliar man with unkempt dirty blonde hair. He felt an odd drop in his stomach as he watched Blaine touch the man’s arm, both laughing at some shared joke.  
  
“That’s Jeremiah.” Rachel Berry informed as she plopped onto the side of Kurt’s desk.  
  
“What?” Kurt jumped at her intrusion.  
  
“That guy talking to Anderson. His name is Jeremiah Grant, he’s a copyeditor, mainly does the Sports and Life & Style sections. I introduced them.” Rachel smiled at Kurt, blinking rapidly and trying to look innocent.  
  
“What made you want to play matchmaker? Reporting on insipid drama not enough, you needed to make some?”  
  
“Oh Kurt, what’s so dramatic about your friend getting some? They’re both single, both consenting, and both far too cute to be alone on a Friday night. Anyway, Blaine asked me to. Well, he asked me if he knew of anyone nice.”  
  
Kurt blanched. “Blaine, he… he wanted to get set up?”  
  
Rachel nodded. “Well, he didn’t exactly beg me or anything. I just made my usual comment about how sad I was that he didn’t play for my team because I could show him such a good time, and he… inquired as to whether I knew of anyone more his type. And of course I did, I mean I’ve got two gay dads, of course I have eligible gay friends!”  
  
Kurt had tuned most of Rachel’s monologue out, instead continuing to watch as Blaine bid good-bye to Jeremiah and made his way back to their desks. Kurt quickly sat back in his chair, making a shooing motion to get Rachel to move.  
  
“You can leave now, Berry. We’re all done here.”  
  
Rachel pouted.  “You know, Hummel, I could find somebody for you, too. That Superman is a dreamboat, but maybe you should set your sights a little… lower. I’m sure I could find a nice accountant with a beer belly and a combover that would love to go out with you,” she cooed.  
  
Kurt glared at Rachel, a retort on his tongue, when Blaine interrupted him.  
  
“Oh, hi Rachel! What brings you over here?”  
  
“Oh nothing, just wanted to see if you and Jeremiah had made any plans yet. But it looks like that’s an affirmative…”  
  
Blaine blushed. “Oh, um, yeah. We’re, uh, getting dinner on Friday. Um, thanks again, Rachel. For, you know.” His eyes darted to Kurt before he quickly took a seat at his desk and hid behind his computer.  
  
“My pleasure, Blaine! I was just telling Kurtie here that he should take a page from your book, get out more, try and be social.”  
  
“We can’t all be as social as you, Rachel,” Kurt hissed through gritted teeth. “There aren’t enough free clinics in the city to support that.”  
  
Rachel simply smiled, shaking her hips as she stalked off. “Bye, boys. And Blaine, have fun Friday!”  
  
Kurt stared at his computer screen, typing furiously.  
  
“Um... Kurt? You okay?” Blaine asked.  
  
“Fine, Blaine. I’m just fine.” He practically growled in return.  
  
Blaine was confused, but he thought he saw a glimmer of hope. “Kurt, if you don’t want me to go out with Jeremiah…”  
  
Kurt’s head snapped up. “Westerville, I couldn’t care less who or what you take back to your Hobbit hole and eat second breakfast with. But maybe you should learn not to take love advice from the shrill gossip monger in the animal print sweater.”  
  
Kurt grabbed his coat and stormed off, leaving a shocked Blaine behind, a small smile growing on his face.  
  
*********************************************************************************************  
  
Kurt stomped out of the Daily Planet offices in a huff.  
  
What is the deal with Rachel Berry? Sticking her big nose into other people’s business. And that Jeremiah guy, with his stupid haircut. Not that Blaine knows anything about hair, the way he wears his gel like a helmet. Not that I care, Blaine can date whoever he wants, he’s an adult. Even if he does want to go on dates with long-haired losers that Rachel “no taste” Berry picks out. But I don’t care. Nope. Blaine’s just my friend. I mean, he’s my best friend. That’s it, I’m just worried about my friend. Left at the hands of Berry and some guy he doesn’t even know. Set-ups are always a bad idea, doesn’t he know that? Don’t they teach anything back in Smalltown, Ohio?  
  
Kurt was so caught up in his thoughts that he began to cross the street as the light changed, not noticing the taxi barreling down on him until he heard the tires screech right beside him in a last-ditch effort to stop.  
  
Kurt turned, eyes wide at the impending car until-  
  
-WHOOSH-  
  
He was suddenly in the air.  
  
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”  
  
Kurt looked up into the face of Superman, who held him tight as they ascended to the roof of the Daily Planet.  
  
“Superman!”  
  
“That is what they call me. Thanks to you.” He smiled at Kurt as he set him down on the rooftop.  
  
“I don’t know how to thank you. I promise, I usually look both ways before crossing the street.” Kurt stumbled over his words, trying to salvage his pride.  
  
“What’s got you so distracted that you’re walking into oncoming traffic?” Blaine’s eyes were sparkling with amusement.  
  
“Oh, um… nothing. Just… work… stuff. Anyway, I hope you liked the article.”  
  
“I did. You’re very good at your job.”  
  
Kurt scoffed. “Of course I am. I’m the best.”  
  
Blaine smiled warmly and Kurt felt a fluttering in his stomach.  
  
C’mon Hummel, Kurt thought to himself, He’s here, you know he likes you. Man up!  
  
“Um, Superman, before you fly off and… save other distracted citizens from renegade cabs…”  
  
Blaine cocked his head after Kurt trailed off. “Yes?”  
  
Kurt took a deep breath. “The other night, it seemed like…” He took a step forward into Blaine’s personal space. “It sort of seemed like you felt… well, that you were sad to go.”  
  
Blaine sucked in a breath at Kurt’s proximity.  
  
Shoot. Don’t look in his eyes, Blaine! Remember what Cooper said. You need to let him down, you need to…. Oh, shoot.  
  
Blaine’s eyes fell to Kurt’s mouth, not noticing that Kurt’s eyes had dropped similarly.  
  
“I… Kurt…”  
  
Blaine’s hand seemed to lift on its own, cupping Kurt’s cheek. Kurt leaned forward almost imperceptibly, his mouth opening slightly. Blaine knew he had to make a quick decision. He knew how deeply he felt for Kurt, and how much he wanted this, wanted him. But he couldn’t in good conscience kiss him. He wasn’t being honest with Kurt about who he was, he couldn’t do that to him. He loved him far too much to kiss him as another man.  
  
Blaine moved back slightly, moving his hand to tuck a fallen piece of Kurt’s now wind-swept hair behind his ear. To stop himself from leaning in again, he dropped his hand to Kurt’s shoulder and squeezed lightly.  
  
“Kurt… I don’t know if…”  
  
Blaine had no idea how to continue, but before he could find the words he was interrupted by sirens from the streets below. Kurt smiled sadly up at him, reaching to pull Blaine’s hand from his shoulder.  
  
“It’s okay. You should probably go. Someone needs you.”  
  
Blaine turned to leave, giving Kurt one last smile before he flew off.  
  
After he was gone, Kurt dropped to sit on the roof, groaning.  
  
“Now what was that?”  
  
*******************************************************************************************  
  
In his office across town, Sebastian Smythe was watching the city splayed out below him. Sebastian loved the city, his city. For years he had been the dominant power in Metropolis, the silent hand behind its inner workings, with connections from the grubbiest corner of Suicide Slum all the way up through the mayor’s office. Metropolis was Sebastian’s domain and every person within it, whether they knew it or not, lived under his rule.  
  
But all of that was before his title had been usurped. Now a self-righteous do-gooder, an overgrown Boy Scout in a cape, had infiltrated his city and stolen the hearts of its people. Someone else was now the dominant power, the dominant voice, the prodigal son. Sure, his opponent was attractive, his naïve schoolboy attitude appealed to Sebastian’s predatory nature. And he would’ve relished the opportunity to own him in every way. But unlike any other opponent that Sebastian had encountered, this was one who could not be seduced or bought and who could not be easily dealt with. No, this enemy required research and planning. He challenged Sebastian’s staggering intellect and his nearly unlimited resources. But after months of work, he was finally ready.  
  
After this, Sebastian will have defeated the undefeatable and reclaimed his city. After this he will have finally won, and there would be no one left to stand in his way.  
  
Sebastian pressed a button on his desk.  
  
“Harmony, tell the boys that it’s time to begin.”  
  
“Yes sir, Mr. Smythe.”  
  
Sebastian turned back to the window, back to the view of his city.  
  
“And then we can finally end this.”


	8. Chapter 8

The next day at work, both Kurt and Blaine arrived at their desks with two cups of coffee in hand.  
  
“Kurt, I…”  
  
“Westerville, there you…”  
  
They both noticed the extra cups simultaneously.  
  
“Oh.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
Blaine slowly grinned up at Kurt, who responded with a small smile.  
  
“Um, I got you your mocha this morning, but I guess…”  
  
“Yeah, I had the same idea. I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was short with you for no reason.”  
  
“No, it’s fine, I wanted to apologize, too. I shouldn’t have thrown that thing with Jeremiah in your face. Actually, I sort of called it off anyway.” Blaine said with a shrug.  
  
Kurt felt himself smiling and tried to stifle it. “Oh? Well, that’s too bad. Rachel will be crushed. Anyway, here’s an extra drip for you, Westerville. I even got it with cinnamon, like you like.”  
  
Kurt dropped the cup on Blaine’s desk, grabbed the mocha from his partner, and turned quickly to his own workspace, not noticing Blaine’s shocked expression or growing grin.  
  
Kurt began typing at his computer, and without looking up from the screen said, “Um, Blaine?”  
  
Blaine looked up from his own desk. “Yes, Kurt?”  
  
“I just… I wanted to say… well, I was a jerk yesterday. It wasn’t anything you did. That Rachel gets on my last nerve and she was butting into your life and making snide comments about mine and… Well, their our lives and I think we’ve done really well for ourselves. And anyway, I don’t want us to fight.” Kurt looked over at Blaine. “You’re, you know, one of my best friends.” He then added quietly, “maybe my very best friend…” Kurt cleared his throat. “So, I just… yeah. No more petty fighting between partners, got it Westerville?”  
  
Blaine’s could barely get words past his ear-to-ear smile. “Of course, Kurt.”  
  
“Good.” Kurt looked back to his computer. “Now, how many C’s are in ‘acceptable’?”

******************************************************  
  
Blaine went off to patrol the city that day in a good mood. Things were going well with Kurt, he loved his job at the Planet, and after all this time he still got a kick out of being able to use his powers out in the open and save lives.  
  
Blaine knew that people thought he was too optimistic. Cooper, and now Kurt, constantly teased him for acting like a puppy, for constantly seeing the good in people and for always having a smile on his face. But that was because it would be easy for Blaine to focus on the bad in the world. When you can hear and see all the bad things that people try to hide, it becomes far too easy to let yourself become pessimistic and cynical. Blaine had always been proud of his ability to see the bright side. Of course, ever since meeting Kurt it hadn’t been difficult for Blaine to find a reason to smile.  
  
Blaine’s thoughts were broken by some far-off sirens. He changed his flight path to check out their source, feeling unsurprised as he made his way towards Suicide Slum. Blaine seemed to spend most of his time as Superman in the lower class area of Metropolis near Hob’s Bay. Today, he thought with a sigh, was no exception.  
  
Blaine found the source of the siren: an ambulance and a police car were parked in front of hole-in-the-wall bar that had a car halfway through the front wall. What Blaine assumed was the driver of said car was being put into the back of the ambulance when he arrived, a neck brace firmly attached.  
  
Thank goodness, looks like a few injuries and no fatalities.  
  
Blaine landed in front of the bar besides a police officer taking notes, and was about to ask if he could help when a voice called out to him.  
  
“Superman! Hey Superman!”  
  
Blaine turned to see a man run out of the doorway of the bar. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a short Mohawk, and was followed by a larger woman with a disinterested expression.  
  
The man ran up to Superman, a huge grin on his face.  
  
“Superman! So glad you’re here. The name’s Puck, this is my place.” He motioned to the bar behind him and a small sign the read Ace of Clubs above the door. “It’s a good thing you’re here, dude.”  
  
“What seems to be the problem, Mr….Puck?”  
  
Puck laughed. “Puckerman. But dude, you gotta call me Puck. And you know, you’re totally my fav’rite.”  
  
The woman behind him finally spoke up. “Favorite what?” she asked with a roll of her eyes.  
  
Puck turned around. “You know, Lauren, fav’rite… guy. Super guy. Hero guy. Badass guy!”  
  
Lauren sighed and shook her head. Puck turned back around.  
  
“Anyway, Superman. This guy, he just totally drove right into my bar, man. It was so not cool. Good thing Lauren made me get insurance. But yeah, the dude was like, one of those coma guys. He was passed out at the wheel.”  
  
Blaine was suddenly intrigued. “Coma guys?”  
  
“Yeah, you haven’t heard?”  
  
Lauren interjected, “Of course he hasn’t heard. Nobody cares what happens down here in the Slums.”  
  
Blaine frowned. “I care.”  
  
Puck’s grin grew. “See? Anyway, for the past few days these guys around the neighborhood, they just, you know, drop. I think they get sick first, and then they go into comas. Hospital’s full of them. Nobody knows why. It’s like… a plague or something.”  
  
Blaine’s concern grew. “How many people are sick?”  
  
“A lot.” Lauren answered. “And more everyday. Only a matter of time til the rest of us get it.” And with that melancholy note, she walked off back into the bar.  
  
“Listen, Superman, you can come by my place anytime, the drinks’ll be on the house. Seriously, dude, come by, we’ll play pool or something.”  
  
Blaine smiled. “Thank you, Puck. Now how about I get that car out of your wall so that you can get back to work soon?”  
  
After Blaine made quick work of the Ace of Clubs wall, he began flying through Suicide Slums as his worries grew. Now that he was paying attention, he realized that things were not right in Metropolis. There were ambulances patrolling the streets and one x-rayed peek at the hospitals showed they were full of coma patients. How had he not known about this? And how could he fix it?  
  
Blaine stopped on a rooftop and took his cell phone from his belt pocket.  
  
“Hey Kurt, it’s Blaine.”  
“Westerville. What’s up?”  
  
“I was just wondering… have you heard anything out of Suicide Slums? Anything… odd?”  
  
“Why, have you heard something? If there’s a story brewing then I want in.”  
  
“Not sure yet. Have you heard anything, though?”  
  
“Not much. An awful lot of shady things happen in that part of town, Blaine. I’ve heard some rumors of a flu epidemic or something, but nothing newsworthy yet. Wait, hold on, let me check the wire.”  
  
Blaine waited while Kurt did some digging.  
  
“Huh. Seems like epidemic is the right word. Looks like a ton of people are getting sick down there. And… it looks like it’s spreading.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Yeah, there’ve been cases as far north as mid town. Wait, Blaine, where are you? If there’s something going around you should head home. Superman might be able to save me from a hail of gunfire, but none of his super abilities can stop the common cold.”  
  
Kurt’s words sunk in as Blaine realized just how right he was. “Alright Kurt, I’ll head home. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”  
  
“Good. I’m going to start some research from here; this could be something. Thanks for the scoop, Westerville. I’ll try to keep you in the loop.”  
  
Blaine couldn’t help but chuckle. “Thanks, Kurt.” He hung up the phone with a heavy feeling in his gut. Something was happening in the city that he couldn’t help, and it was getting worse.  
  
In general in his day-to-day life, Blaine tried to keep his abilities reigned in. He worked hard over the years to maintain a level of control and to keep his sense from overloading. But now, with this unknown threat on Metropolis, he let everything loose.  
  
Standing on a roof near Hob’s Bay, Blaine took a deep breath and let go. He was immediately overcome with the sights, sounds, and smells of the city. Once he acclimated to the chaos, he tried to focus through the sensations. It took a moment, but then he found a rhythm.  
  
Suddenly Blaine could see it. All over the city people were falling where they stood. He started to panic as he saw men, women, even children succumb, and not just in Suicide Slum. Kurt was right: whatever this was, it was spreading. And as the dread grew within Blaine, he realized that no matter how strong or fast he was, there was nothing he could do about this.


	9. Chapter 9

Blaine stood on a rooftop looking out over the city, desperately trying to think of something he could do. He was shaken from his thoughts by the sounds of crashes and sirens across Metropolis as more and more citizens succumbed to this weird plague. It was only a few hundred now, but Blaine knew that number would grow over the next few days. Sure, he could make sure that no one was injured in secondary accidents, like the car that crashed into the Ace of Clubs. But that was just sealing up one crack in a dam that was about to crumble.   
  
Before Blaine could get even more lost in his jumble of anxious thoughts, he heard a shrill beeping through the air. It took a moment to realize that the noise was at a decibel that only he and some dogs could hear, meaning that whatever it was, it was meant for him.  
  
Considering the state of the city, Blaine figured this couldn’t be a coincidence. He took a moment to listen until he found the direction of the source of the sound and began to follow it back to its origin.   
  
When Blaine realized his destination was the top of SebCorp Tower, he wasn’t surprised. Sebastian Smythe was a powerhouse in Metropolis, and in the few months that Blaine had lived there he had heard every sort of rumor and whisper about the kind of connections and control that Smythe had. If something was wrong in the city, Blaine was sure that Sebastian would know something about it.  
  
Blaine was equally unsurprised to see that there was a window open and waiting for him. He flew into the room, unsure of what he’d see, only to find himself face to face with the man himself, Sebastian Smythe.  
  
“Ah, welcome Superman. Have a seat. Can I get you anything?” Sebastian stood beside his desk and motioned to a chair in front of it, a smirk on his face.  
“No thanks.” Blaine tried to stay polite, but he was beginning to feel agitated about why Smythe wanted him there in the first place, on top of his growing anxiety for the state of the city. “I’d rather keep this short.”  
  
“Ah, of course. You’ve got lots of... heroing to do, don’t you?” he asked with a sneer.  
  
Blaine’s eyes narrowed. “Actually, I do. So if you were just going to waste my time...”  
  
Sebastian smiled menacingly. “Of course not, I wouldn’t dream of it. No Superman, I brought you here for a reason.” Sebastian began walking slowly about the room, turning his speech into a sort of performance, obviously loving the attention. “You’ve seen what’s happening out there, I assume. The city is slowly crumbling, slowly dying, seemingly from the ground up. I’ve been worried about something like this happening for some time now, and have had SebCorp’s scientists searching for the answers.”  
  
“You knew something like this would happen!?” Blaine asked, appalled.  
  
Sebastian stopped and turned toward Blaine, his eyes blazing. “Of course I did. Do you think I’m some sort of imbecile? Some strange flying freak shows up in my city without warning and you’d think I wouldn’t assume the worst?”  
  
Blaine blanched. “You think... you think this is somehow my fault?”  
  
“Oh I don’t ‘think’ it, Superman, I know.”   
  
*******************************************************************************************************  
  
Across town at the Daily Planet, Kurt was taking a much needed coffee break. He’d been researching this weird plague but couldn’t come up with any solid answers. No one had died yet, but more and more people were getting sick and falling into comas. He’d gathered all the information he could find on the epidemic, gotten quotes from the CDC and Star Labs, charted its progress, but in the end it wasn’t enough for a really hard-hitting story. Something was missing, but Kurt had no idea what it was.  
  
Not to mention the fact that he kept getting distracted by thoughts of Superman and what had happened between them on the roof. Kurt couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt like that around someone, had those butterflies in his stomach and had the urge to touch, to kiss, to be near them like that. And for some weird reason whenever he started to think about Superman like that, he’d think of Blaine and immediately feel guilty. Kurt was confused and tired and at a dead end with his story, and not even coffee could help him at this point. What he needed to do was talk it all out. Thankfully Blaine wasn’t Kurt’s only friend. He did have another person at the Planet that he could go to. That’s why Kurt soon found himself sitting in the Daily Planet break room across from Mercedes Jones, the Planet’s resident theatre and music critic and Kurt’s oldest friend on staff. They had met back when they were both gophers for the Life and Style editors and had bonded over their constant need to judge and critique their peers. Though Kurt’s life for the past few years had been completely centered on his work, they always found a few times a month to see a show or to meet for coffee.   
  
“Okay Boo, what’s the problem?”   
  
Kurt sighed. “I don’t know, ‘Cedes. It’s complicated.”  
  
“Is this about a certain heroic hottie that you keep writing about?” Mercedes asked with a wink.  
  
“I can’t remember the last time I felt like this about someone.”  
  
Mercedes frowned. “Kurt, sweetie, do you even know the guy?”  
  
Kurt looked offended. “Of course, do you think I’m some stupid school boy with a crush? I’ve interviewed him, I’ve talked to him, and the other day we almost... well, let’s just say it’s obvious he feels something for me, too.”  
  
“So he’s....”  
  
“Likewise inclined, yes.”  
  
“Huh. I should’ve figured, that is a pretty flamboyant outfit...”  
  
“Focus, please! I know he likes me, but he keeps holding back and I don’t... I just don’t get it.”  
  
“Well Kurt, he is sort of a superhero. I don’t think they have time for romance.”  
  
“I know that.” he huffed. “It’s just... there’s this connection between us and...”  
  
“And you’re obsessing.”  
  
Kurt’s face grew guarded. “...Maybe.”  
  
“Kurt!” Mercedes drawled. “You can’t keep doing this.”  
  
“Doing what?” Kurt asked indignantly.   
  
“Kurt, you keep falling for unattainable guys. Remember when you had that idiotic crush on one of the straight interns? Or when Sam started working here and you were convinced he was gay?”  
  
Kurt felt embarrassed just thinking about the Planet’s blonde, fun-loving IT guy who had been seriously dating Mercedes for the last year.  
  
“Alright, fine, those were mistakes, but Superman... he’s different. He likes me back.”  
  
“Okay, so he likes you back. But other than the sexual tension, do you think the two of you could ever actually have a relationship? You don’t even know his real name.”  
  
Kurt had no response. For once he wasn’t making this up in his head, for once he was sure he’d fallen for someone who not only could love him back, but did. But Kurt was wrong. That was the problem with falling for a superhero. By putting on that suit he took away any other identity, any other life. Kurt couldn’t date him, couldn’t have a life with him. Couldn’t be anything more than a friendly reporter or a “damsel” in distress.  
  
Kurt dropped his head onto his arms on the table. “Oh ‘Cedes. This sucks. Why do I keep doing this?”  
  
Mercedes patted his head lightly. “I don’t know, sweetie. But I know he’s out there, the right guy for you.”  
  
Kurt thought back to his previous dating experiences. Back as a military brat following his father around the country he’d known a few severely closeted young soldiers. College brought his first real dates, but nobody lasted long. The more devoted he had gotten to his work, the less guys seemed to want to stick around, and the more cynical and judgmental Kurt grew.  
  
“Yeah, right.” He scoffed. “I’m married to the Planet. Who would want to be ‘the other man’?”  
  
Mercedes laughed. “Kurt, you’re way too gorgeous and smart and successful to not find someone. I promise, somewhere in this city there’s a guy who’ll love your passion and dedication, a guy who’ll just smile when you go on your news-induced rants, and will happily support your late night coffee binges.”  
  
At the mention of coffee, the image of Blaine holding two mugs in his hands flitted through Kurt’s mind. Kurt sat up suddenly.  
  
“What’s wrong?” Mercedes asked.  
  
“Oh my god. Blaine.”  
  
“Blaine? The cutie with the bowties that follow you around like a puppy?”  
  
“Yeah. He... oh no. I got jealous when he was set up on a date. I... I felt guilty for talking about Superman in front of him. I... I told him he was my best friend...”  
  
“Hey!”  
  
Kurt looked up. “Sorry Mercedes. But... holy shit.”  
  
“Kurt... do you....?”  
  
“I... I gotta go...”  
  
Kurt grabbed his bag and his mug and ran for the door.   
  
“Wait, Kurt!”  
  
“Sorry sweetie!” He called back. “I gotta find Blaine!”  
  
  
*******************************************************************************************************

“I don’t ‘think’ it, Superman, I know.”  
  
Sebastian grabbed a file folder off of his desk and handed it to Blaine. “It’s all in there, all the research. The trajectory of this plague, the origins in the city, the correlation to your ‘heroic’ activities. You’re an alien, Superman, and you’ve brought some sort of unknown illness onto the people of this city.”  
  
Blaine looked through the papers in the file, skimming over the reports that tracked his activities, most of them in the poorer parts of Metropolis, and tracked this disease beginning in those same locations. There were diagnostics of the disease itself, a seemingly new illness of unknown origin. Blaine’s mind raced.  
  
“But this can’t... I... I’ve been on Earth for years... this has never happened.”  
  
“Yes, but have you ever used your powers like this?” Sebastian countered. “It was clear to my scientists that you’re powered by radiation from the sun, sort of like a solar battery. The findings are all in there. Anyway, obviously when you use your powers you give off a different radiation, one that is apparently toxic to humans.”  
  
Blaine looked up with wide eyes at Sebastian’s words. “...Toxic?”  
  
He nodded. “Apparently. You see, Superman, you may think you’re here to do good, but that’s not the case. Your presence here is only causing harm. You’re a freak, you’re a disease; you’re the rat that carried the Bubonic plague. It’s all there in black and white, Superman. People are dying all around you, human beings, because you decided to play hero.” Blaine’s face paled as he took in Sebastian’s words, his eyes still glued to the papers in his hand, not seeing the triumphant grin on Sebastian’s face. “Go home, Superman. Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of, go back and hide. There’s nothing for you to do here, no one you can save. You can only make things worse.”


	10. Chapter 10

“Go home, Superman.” Sebastian smirked. “Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of, go back and hide. There’s nothing for you to do here, no one you can save. You can only make things worse.  
  
“But I...This can’t be... I can’t just abandon the city...” Blaine felt so lost all of a sudden.  
  
“Let me make this clear for you, Superman. If you stay, the city dies. If you leave, my scientists will begin working on a cure. The only way you can save the city is to leave it. Stop using your powers, stop trying to save the world, and you’ll actually do some good.”  
  
“But people are getting hurt out there. People that I can help.”  
  
“That’s right. And if you choose to stay and help them? I’ll send these findings over to your buddies at the Daily Planet. Then all of Metropolis will know what you really are.”  
  
Blaine blanched. He felt like he’d been backed into a corner. The city needed him, but if he stayed he would just make things worse, and everyone would hate him. There was nothing he could do to help the situation except to leave, knowing that there were people that needed his help. For a moment he couldn’t breathe.   
  
“I...”  
  
“Just go, Superman. And you can keep that file. I have enough copies to go around.”  
  
With that, Sebastian turned and walked to his office door, an obvious skip in his step.   
  
“Have a nice day, Superman!”  
  
*****************************************************************************************************  
  
Blaine flew back to the Daily Planet in a daze. He couldn’t wrap his head around how his life had fallen apart so quickly. Without realizing it, he ended up back in his normal clothes and at his desk, unsure of exactly how to continue.   
  
He knew that he needed to leave the city, Sebastian had made that pretty clear. The folder that was still in his hand, actually, was what made that clear. He dropped it suddenly as if it had burned him, the proof of his abnormality, the proof that he was dangerous. After all those years of hiding, of dreaming about the day when he could finally be himself and actually help people, it was all worthless. Could he even go back home? He didn’t want to hurt Cooper, but then again Cooper had been fine living with him for 18 years. Maybe if he stopped using his powers. He could get a job at a paper in Columbus, maybe as an editor. Blaine began packing up the few things he had in and around his desk. He’d send an e-mail to the Chief, he couldn’t stomach the idea of letting Burt down to his face. He’d go back to hiding, back to being less of himself. But what choice did he have? Staying in Metropolis meant hurting everyone, and when they found out... when Kurt found out.  
  
Oh no... Kurt.  
  
Blaine didn’t want to think about him right then.  
  
Which of course meant that at that moment, his partner walked over.  
  
“Blaine! There you are!”  
  
Kurt stopped in front of Blaine’s desk to catch his breath, only to notice Blaine packing up his things.  
  
“Wait... what’s going on? Where are you going? Is there a scoop?”  
  
Blaine didn’t look up as he grabbed the photo of him and Cooper and stuck it into his briefcase.   
  
“No. I’m leaving.”  
  
“Leaving? Leaving where?” Kurt started to feel nervous. Something was very wrong with Blaine.  
  
“Here. The Planet. Metropolis. I’m going home.”  
  
“You’re... WHAT?!” Kurt was shocked. “Why would you... what happened? Blaine?”  
  
Kurt reached out to touch his arm, but Blaine flinched and took a step back.  
  
“I’m sorry Kurt. I thought I could handle it, being here in the city, being away from home. But it’s too much.”  
  
“Blaine....”  
  
“And now with this whole... this weird sickness thing. I just have to go.”  
  
“Blaine, don’t be ridiculous, okay?” Kurt grabbed for him again, gripping his wrist and staring him down. “Look, you’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, alright? You’re one of the best men I’ve ever met and... I know you can do this, okay? I don’t know what happened to make you think that you couldn’t but...” Kurt took a deep breath. “You can’t leave, Blaine. That’s ridiculous, all right.”  
  
Blaine looked down at Kurt’s hand on his wrist.  
  
“Kurt,” he whispered, “you just don’t understand.”  
  
“So explain it to me.”  
  
Blaine sighed, obviously reluctant to go on.  
  
Kurt started to get desperate. Something was wrong and he needed to fix it.  
  
“Blaine, I promise that we can get through this, okay? And as for the whole epidemic thing, we’ll figure it out. We’re the best investigators in the city. And nothing bad is going to happen with Superman around.”  
  
That’s what broke Blaine.  
  
He looked up at Kurt, eyes blazing and shiny.   
  
“Really, Kurt? So your Super-Boyfriend is just going to fly in and save the day? He’s not a god, Kurt. He can’t just magically fix everything, alright!” Blaine ripped his arm from Kurt’s grasp. “Do you have any idea how it feels, Kurt? For you to talk about him like this, about how perfect he is to you? He... he probably doesn’t care about you, Kurt. He’s just a guy in a ridiculous suit, and there’s not a damn thing he can do for this.”  
  
Kurt took a step back, glaring at Blaine. “There’s no reason to yell at me, Anderson. I’m not the coward here. Fine. Just... run back home to Ohio, to your small town and your useless life. Just run away from all of your problems instead of facing them like a man.”  
  
Blaine grabbed his briefcase with shaking hands. He didn’t want to leave Kurt like this.  
  
“Kurt, I....”  
  
“You what?” Kurt sniped back.  
  
Blaine finally looked Kurt in the eye, trying to hide how much this was killing him. He reached up and tucked a fallen piece of Kurt’s hair behind his ears, causing Kurt to freeze with a sharp intake of breath. Blaine dropped his hand to Kurt’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
And with that, Blaine grabbed his things and quickly left the bullpen, not noticing as a stunned Kurt reached a hand up to touch his shoulder, his eyes wide as he whispered, “it can’t be...”  
  
Kurt’s eyes then fell to the folder left forgotten on Blaine’s desk.


	11. Chapter 11

When Blaine left Kurt behind at the Planet, he went home as fast as he could to pack up his things. But once he got there, the enormity of what was happening began to hit him.   
  
He was leaving Metropolis. He was leaving Kurt. He was going to be alone again.  
  
But he had no other choice.  
  
At that moment Blaine was shaken from his thoughts by a siren just outside of his building.  
  
There was a moment of indecision, a moment where he hesitated. But as long as he was able to, Blaine would still jump to help anyone that needed it.  
  
Changing quickly into his suit, Blaine rushed out to see what the problem was. Apparently someone had tried to loot the shop across the street. Blaine found them already being taken into custody by the police while Captain Lopez, dressed in a Metropolis Special Crimes Unit vest over her uniform, oversaw the scene and spoke into her cell.  
  
“Yeah, everything i clear over here, I’ll head down your way and bring some back-up to Jackson.”  
  
When she hung up, she turned and found Blaine watching the proceedings.  
  
“Superman! Glad to see you. We gotta talk.”  
  
“Captain Lopez. How is the city taking.. everything?”  
  
“Honestly? Could be better. Mostly nobody has panicked yet, a few lone nutjobs like this guy, but I figure my guys can handle them. And then you and your little buddy at the Planet can figure out the big picture, got it?”  
  
“My... I, um, don’t know who you’re talking about, Captina Lopez.” Blaine stammered.  
  
“Yeah, right. Listen, Hobbit, I got some advice for you.”  
  
Blaine blanched.   
  
“What did you just...”  
  
She lifted a finger to silence him. “Eh-eh, nope, Auntie ‘Tana’s talking now, formerly-four-eyes.” She stopped to look around and make sure no one was listening, then took a step toward Blaine.  
  
“Anderson...” She said quietly, “I ain’t dumb. But that’s not what we need to talk about. What we gotta discuss is your obvious boner for your elf-like ‘partner.’ And the fact that Hummel wants to get into your super shorts just as badly. Your sexual tension has the potential to blackout the power grid. Getting you laid is a civil service, Supes.”  
  
Blaine was stunned. “I... um...”  
  
“Let me guess, you haven’t told Fancy Pants that you like to play spandex dress-up in your off hours?”   
  
“Um... well, no, but... it’s complicated...”  
  
She sighed. “It’s really not. Alright, I’ve got a little story for you. Once there was this cop, the biggest badass to come out of the Slums. And this cop rose through the ranks pretty fast, since nobody wanted to mess with someone who kept razorblades in her hair. But then she met someone. Someone special, got it? And suddenly keeping the city safe wasn’t as important as keeping that person safe. And how would they be safe if they were dating a cop? Cops are targets, cops go out and they put their lives on the line. How could you put someone you cared about in danger by getting them mixed up in that, by making them love you and then, possibly, leaving them one day if some asshole pulls a gun? So don’t think I don’t get it, Supes. Because I do.”  
  
Blaine felt a rush of sympathy for the brash Captain. “So... so what did you do?”  
  
Santana reached into her pocket and pulled out a photo, looking at it with a loving smile. Then she gave Blaine a glare.  
  
“See, trying to stay from someone because you love them? That’s dumb. It hurts you, it hurts them. If you don’t let yourself love, then what do you have to keep fighting for? You’ll get lost or overloaded or burnt out. But having someone to come home to...”  
  
Santana handed the picture over to Blaine. It was two women laughing at a beach, hugging each other. It was first time he’d ever seen a real smile on Santana’s face as she beamed at the woman next to her, a blonde with the sunniest smile he’d ever seen.  
“Her name is Brittany.” Blaine could hear the love in Santana’s voice. “She used to work at Star, but she can be a little.. eccentric, so now she’s got her own lab in the city. People think she’s stupid, but they just underestimate her. She’s the smartest person I’ve ever met. She’s what keeps me going, the reason I can come out here and work my ass off for this city. Because keeping Metropolis safe means keeping her safe. She knows the risks in dating a cop, and she doesn’t care. Said she’d rather be with me than not.”  
  
She grabbed the picture back from Blaine.   
  
“Trust me, Hobbit. And trust him. Love is worth the risk.”  
  
Blaine was speechless.   
  
“Captain Lopez... Santana... I.”  
  
“Just thank me and go find your boy. And when you adopt your first Asian love child, name her Santana.”  
  
Blaine stammered his thanks and turned to fly off.  
  
“Oh, and don’t forget to save the city, Short Pants!” She called after him.  
  
Blaine flew away, trying to hold in his laughter.  
  
*******************************************************************************************************  
  
Blaine was nervous. He knew he needed to talk to Kurt. Santana had been right about one thing: he needed to be honest. But he knew he couldn’t stay in the city, as much as it hurt him. He couldn’t be selfish anymore. Kurt deserved the truth and the city deserved to be safe. Blaine wished he could have some sort of happily-ever-after with Kurt, but at least he’d be honest with Kurt about his feelings and why he had to leave. It would still hurt, but wouldn’t Kurt rather know why he was being abandoned?   
  
Blaine found him right where he expected to: on the roof of the Daily Planet, sitting underneath the giant rotating globe.   
  
Blaine landed softly, watching as Kurt held his head in his hands, a familiar file folder at his feet.   
  
“Kurt...”  
  
Kurt’s head popped up, his eyes red and tired.  
  
“Superman!”  
Neither man moved for a moment. Blaine’s eyes went to the folder. Kurt looked to it and back at Blaine.  
  
“I... I know. I know everything.”  
  
Blaine sighed.  
  
“I’m so sorry Kurt. But that means you know that I have to leave. I’m...” he took a shuddering breath. “I’m a danger to Metropolis.”  
  
Kurt stood and closed his eyes. He sighed heavily, then looked into Blaine’s eyes.  
  
“No, I mean... I know everything. Blaine.”  
  
Blaine froze like a deer in headlights.   
  
“I....” He was once again speechless. He had a vague flash of touching Kurt’s shoulder on the rooftop a few days ago, then again in bullpen that day. He wanted to slap himself in the face. First Santana, now Kurt. Having two identities was a lot harder than Blaine had anticipated. Maybe he should’ve taken an acting class.  
  
Kurt took a step forward.   
  
“I understand, I guess, why you never told me. But... Blaine, I’m not going to tell anyone. I meant it when I said you’re my best friend.”  
  
Blaine didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.   
  
“Kurt, that’s not... that’s not why... I was trying to keep you safe.”  
  
Kurt looked confused. “What are you talking about?”  
  
“I just... knowing who I am could put you in danger. I always trusted you, but I was trying to protect you. Especially since you seemed to have... feelings for Superman. And he can’t, you know... He just can’t.”  
  
“But Blaine, you are Superman.”  
  
“Sometimes. But he’s more like a job. He’s what I am. Blaine Anderson is who I am.”  
  
Kurt started to laugh quietly.  
  
“Um, Kurt, are you...?”  
  
“Blaine, do you know why I came to see you earlier? When you gave me that ridiculous goodbye? I was coming to tell you that I didn’t really love Superman. He was just... a crush. An unattainable guy I could fixate on to keep my heart safe. But I realized that... I love you, Blaine. I trust you. And I don’t... I don’t trust easy. I trust Burt because he was the first person to give me a shot. I trust Mercedes because we’ve been friends for years. But you... fuck, I trusted you completely from day one, Blaine. And I don’t care that you can fly or benchpress a plane or are more famous than The Beatles when you put on that cape. I care about Blaine Anderson, the guy with no fashion sense, who thinks bowties are the only viable accessory. The guy who likes cinnamon in his coffee. The guy who likes to jump on furniture when he’s excited and who never stops singing in the car and who loves Gregory Peck and Gene Kelly movies. I love you, Blaine Anderson. And I really needed to tell you that.”  
  
For a moment neither man moved or spoke, eyes locked on the other’s. After a beat that seemed to last for eternity, Blaine spoke.  
  
“Thank goodness.”  
  
He moved forward so fast that Kurt only had time to take a breath before Blaine’s lips were on his, Blaine’s hand cupping the back of Kurt’s neck as Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine’s shoulders.   
  
Even though Blaine had seen and done more than any man on Earth, had flown to the upper reaches of the atmosphere and run across water just to feel the rush of the wind, nothing that he had ever done or felt compared to the feeling of finally kissing Kurt.  
  
Kurt, it can be assumed, would have felt a similar sentiment if kissing Blaine had left him with the higher brain functions necessary to move beyond internal keyboard smashing.


	12. Chapter 12

Eventually Kurt needed to come up for air, pulling back from Blaine but not letting go of his grip on Blaine’s suit.  
  
“Wow...”  
  
Blaine smiled widely, his eyes crinkling. “Yeah.”  
  
Now that they were separated and could think clearly again, Blaine’s smile began to drop. He took a step back from Kurt, gently pulling his arms away.  
  
“No, wait, Kurt... I can’t... I...”  
  
Kurt took a step towards him, eyes narrowing.   
  
“Dammit, Blaine, if you’re about to do something stupid in the name of being noble, I will give you a swift kick in your super pants!”  
  
“Kurt, this is serious. You saw that file, you know that this whole... epidemic thing is my fault.”  
  
“Blaine, that’s insane! Where did you even get this information? It’s not from Star Labs.”  
  
Blaine scoffed. “More insane than a flying alien? And no, it’s not Star. It’s from SebCorp.”  
  
Blaine could see Kurt’s hackles raise. “SebCorp? Sebastian Smythe is an egotistical narcissistic ass! I tried interviewing him once at a Wayne Industries dinner and he told me I had a ‘gay face.’ You can’t believe anything that smirking meerkat says.”  
  
Blaine sighed. “Kurt, Sebastian may not be a nice guy, but those files aren’t forged. People are getting sick in the areas I use my powers the most. There’s something new and alien hurting people, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s causing it.”  
  
Kurt shook his head. “Nope, I refuse to believe it.”  
  
“Kurt, c’mon, you can’t just... cover your ears and sing and ignore all of this!” Blaine was starting to get worked up, but Kurt was already clearly upset.  
  
“I’m not ignoring anything, Westerville. Look, your naivete and your penchant to believe what people tell you can be charming, but this is nuts. Why aren’t you fighting this? Shit, when a doctor gives you a bad diagnosis you always try to get a second opinion. But Smythe hands over some barely conclusive pseudoscience and you roll over and give up? Bullshit, Blaine! Why, okay? Why give in so easily?”  
   
“Because I was waiting for something like this!” Blaine yelled back.  
  
For a moment both men stood in silence, Kurt breathing heavily from his rant and staring at Blaine.  
 ****  
“You... what?”  
  
“I...” Blaine deflated.  
  
Kurt reached out and grabbed Blaine’s hands.  
  
“Kurt. I’m sorry. I’ve just spent so long trying to hide, afraid that I’ll hurt someone accidentally or I’ll lose control. And since I came to Metropolis and started being this,” he gestured to his suit, “I’ve finally been able to be myself and not be so scared of what I can do. It’s just... it’s really really easy for me to be... afraid. Afraid of what I can do and who I am and... it’s a lot to deal with, Kurt.”  
  
“I know, Blaine. But you have to trust me, okay? I’ve met a lot of people in my life, and many of them were the kind of guys who like to think they’re heroes. Some of them were. But believe me when I say that you are a hero. And not just because you go out and save people every day, but because you’re... you. You bring coffee to interns, you help old ladies cross the street, you give a shit about everyone. I’m a reporter, I believe in what I can see, and what I see when I look at you is someone who is here to help. That’s what you do Blaine, you help people. And there is not a single part of you, even some weirdo bit of alien anatomy, that could ever hurt anyone, even unintentionally. You’re Superman. And Smythe is an asshole.”  
  
Blaine laughed. “Kurt...”  
  
“Look, I can prove it. We’ll go prove that Smythe’s lying.”  
  
“Kurt, why would he lie? You think he just took advantage of some plague to mess with me?”  
  
“No, I think... he...” Kurt’s eyes widened. “Duh! Blaine, this whole thing is his fault. Smythe is behind all of this just to get rid of you, since he knows he can’t physically hurt you.”  
  
“But... why?”  
  
“Westerville, do you know anything about this city? Sebastian Smythe was Metropolis’s wonderboy before you showed up and stole his thunder. He’s got the shady past, dubious connections, and shitty attitude, plus the resources to pull something like this off.”  
  
Blaine closed his eyes and sighed.  
  
“You know, when I decided to do this superhero thing, I did not sign up for crazy arch-nemeses.”  
  
Kurt laughed and pulled Blaine into a hug.   
  
“I promise, Blaine, we’re gonna fix this. Nobody messes with Hummel and Anderson.”  
  
Blaine smiled into Kurt’s shoulder. “You got it. We’re the dynamic duo. And actually...” Blaine pulled back and grinned at Kurt. “I have an idea of where we need to go first...”  
  
***************************************************************************************************  
  
“Santana told me all about you guys. I didn’t know Hobbits could fly.”  
  
Kurt and Blaine shared a confused look.   
  
“Um, Dr. Pierce...” Blaine began.  
  
“It’s Brittany.”  
  
“Right. Brittany. Santana told us that you’re a scientist?”  
  
“Yep. I have degrees in molecular biology, theoretical astrophysics, and astrobiology.”  
  
Kurt’s eyes widened as Blaine’s smile grew.  
  
“Perfect, so you can help us.”  
  
Kurt found the use of his voice again. “Um, right. We need to prove that... Superman here has nothing to do with this weird plague, and we need to find out who is behind it. Do you know who would have the resources to pull off something like this?”  
  
Kurt was fishing for an answer, just hoping that Smythe made the list.  
  
Brittany thought for a moment. “Well... I could do it, if I had the equipment and the funding. There are some people back at Star Labs, but none of them are creative enough. The only place that has the money is the lab at SebCorp.”  
  
Blaine took a gasping breath as Kurt squeezed his hand. Brittney continued talking.  
  
“I almost worked there, but the lab smelled funny. Plus SebCorp had all these animals in cages. I took one with me when I interviewed and they asked me not to come back. His name is Lord Tubbington, he’s my lab assistant now.” She pointed to a cat carrier in the corner, a large fluffy tail peeking out signifying that it was occupied. “They never let him help me when I worked at Star, but here I get to be the boss. Which is good, because when I had to leave him at home I’m pretty sure he was reading my diary.”  
  
Kurt could see that Blaine was enamored of the eccentric scientist, his hazel eyes twinkling as he held in a laugh. But time was of the essence, so Kurt turned on his “investigative mode.”  
  
“Right. Dr.... um, Brittany, we need to help prove that Superman isn’t the cause of whatever is making the city sick.” He handed her the file from Sebastian. “Someone over at SebCorp gave this to us, and it seems to point to Superman as the origin.”  
  
Brittany flipped through the papers casually before dumping them on her desk.  
  
“I can totally do this.” She grabbed Blaine’s wrist and started to pull him over to her equipment. “Come here, put your hand under this microscope. I’d ask for a skin sample, but I don’t have any tools that work on aliens. I lost the Ebay bid for those, and a ray gun.” As she got a smiling Blaine settled, she made a motion to Kurt. “Your unicorn can wait over there.”  
  
Blaine looked confused. “My what?”  
  
“Your unicorn. You know, he’s magical and special and even though other people told you he wasn’t real, they were wrong, and then you found him.”  
  
Blaine grinned. “Yeah... yeah, you’re right.” He looked over at Kurt, who gave him a questioning look. Blaine shook his head and mouthed “later.”  
  
“I know he’s not a real unicorn,” Brittany continued as she started looking through her equipment at Blaine’s cellular structure. “Everyone knows that unicorns are aliens. I’m still waiting for the funding on my next project to track their history of landing on Earth and their planet of origin.”  
  
Blaine realized he had nothing to say to that. Who was he, a strange visitor from another planet who could fly and had heat vision, to correct her?  
  
Brittany flitted around the room doing various tests. Apparently as soon as she’d heard about the epidemic, she’d convinced Santana to get her a sample to study. While she worked Kurt stood with Blaine, holding his hand and massaging it with his thumb, periodically looking over to send him encouraging smiles.  
  
Finally, Brittany stood up and shouted, “GOT IT!” with a grin.  
  
Kurt and Blaine both started.  
  
“You... you do?” Blaine asked nervously. Kurt gave his hand a squeeze.  
“Yep. It was obvious, but I just needed to make sure.”  
  
“Okay, so... Superman had nothing to do with this, right?” Kurt prodded.  
  
Brittany nodded. “Of course he didn’t. He’s a good guy, Kurt. Getting people sick is something a bad guy does.”  
  
“Right, but how do we prove that?” Blaine was getting anxious.  
  
“Well, this file says that you hurt everybody because of radiation, but your cells don’t give off any. You’re like a giant plant that gets energy from the sun. But you get rid of the extra energy with your heat vision. Hey, are you able to heat up microwave dinners?”  
  
“Focus, Brittany,” Kurt reprimanded.  
  
“Anyway, the virus looks alien, but it’s just really, really mutated. It does have some radiation signatures, but it’s probably not naturally. Basically, I know alien, and this virus isn’t alien. Superman couldn’t do this.”  
  
Blaine hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until he exhaled deeply. He turned to Kurt with his old hundred-watt grin back before grabbing him in a bear hug.  
  
“I didn’t do it,” he whispered into Kurt’s ear, smiling into his cheek.  
  
“Told you so.”  
  
Kurt pulled back.  
  
“Okay, so now that you’ve seen reason and know that you’re just as heroic as always, and we can be pretty sure that Smythe is behind all of this, it’s time to take that criminal chipmunk down.”


	13. Chapter 13

Kurt wanted to rush and take Sebastian down immediately, so it was left to Blaine to hold him back so they could make a plan.  
  
“First things first, Brittany, do you think you can make an antidote to the virus?”  
  
She frowned and shook her head. “Probably not. I’m not sure yet how he synthesized it. It would take me weeks.”  
  
Blaine turned to Kurt. “We don’t have that much time. He wants me gone, so I’m betting this thing will just get worse the longer I’m here.”  
  
Kurt’s eyes widened in comprehension. “Right... so what happens when you leave?”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“Like you said, he’d make sure things kept getting worse until your guilt drove you away. But if things continued to go downhill after that, then it would be obvious that it wasn’t your fault. He must have some sort of escape plan.”  
  
Blaine smiled. “You’re right! I leave, and he steps in with the antidote and is the new savior of the city! All we need to do is search his lab for the antidote!”  
  
Kurt gave him a side-eye, his pragmatic side finally overpowering Blaine’s infectious optimism.   
  
“Blaine, SebCorp has more security than Fort Knox. How do you suggest we get in there?”  
  
Blaine grinned, his eyes sparkling.  
  
“You don’t call me ‘Super’ for nothing.”  
  
****************************************************************************************************  
  
Kurt had been right, of course. Breaking into SebCorp was not going to be easy. They sent Brittany to fill in Santana and get the police on standby while Blaine helped Kurt get the rest of the evidence, and the antidote, from behind enemy lines. They couldn’t risk the police going after Sebastian until they had the antidote, or they’d be risking the whole city.   
  
“Ok, Westerville, what’s the plan?”  
  
Kurt and Blaine stood on a rooftop not far from SebCorp tower.  
  
“We know from Brittany that the lab is underground and that’s probably where the antidote is,” Blaine repeated to Kurt. “He’s also sure to have some files in his office. If I can disable his security system, then you can get inside and to the lab before he can get it back online, and by then Santana will be here to arrest him!”  
  
“You sound pretty confident about all of this. How are you going to disable his security?”  
  
Blaine began searching around the building with his x-ray vision.  
  
“The building runs on a private generator. I can cut the power without alerting him to my presence, but the back-up generator will turn on pretty quickly. I can get you... probably ten minutes. So get down near the building, let me know when you’re in place, and I’ll blow the generator.”  
  
Kurt looked at Blaine, trying not to let his worry show. “And after I find the antidote?”  
  
Blaine turned to Kurt with a smile. “After you give it to Brittany and Santana, meet me in Sebastian’s office.”  
  
**************************************************************************************************  
  
On any given day, Kurt Hummel was never one to shy away from danger. He did what he had to do for a story, and he had to admit that the accompanying adrenaline rush was always a plus. But now that his attempts at journalistic heroism meant putting Blaine in danger, he was finally feeling the nerves.  
  
It didn’t matter that Blaine (His partner. His boyfriend?) was superhuman and physically invulnerable. Kurt knew better than anyone how easily Blaine could be hurt, especially when it was because there was someone he couldn’t save. And going into SebCorp in a last-ditch effort to stop Sebastian was fraught with opportunity to hurt Blaine. What if Kurt was hurt? What if they couldn’t find the antidote? What if Sebastian got away?  
  
Kurt shook his head, trying to clear away his negative thoughts as he waited by an emergency fire exit of the SebCorp building. All he needed to do was give Blaine the signal and this quick-shod plan would be set into motion. He took a deep breath.  
  
It was time to trust Blaine, to trust himself, and to have a hell of a lot of hope.  
  
“Blaine.” Kurt whispered. “Ready when you are.”  
  
*******************************************************************************************************  
  
For a quickly conceived plan, it seemed to come together rather well. Blaine blew the generator, which had the unintended side effect of setting off the fire alarm, causing everyone to flood from the building, making it easier for Kurt to sneak inside and quickly get to the lab. Brittany had told them where the labs were, and the most likely places for the antidote. For a girl that seemed to think dolphins were gay sharks, she had a perfect memory for the equipment she’d seen during her SebCorp interview.   
  
Of course, it wasn’t going to be as simple as finding a giant vile marked “antidote” somewhere in the lab. But he did find a refrigerator full of vials of some kind of compound near a computer terminal that hooked up to a large aerosol spray-type machine. Kurt immediately started snapping pictures with his phone before calling Santana.  
  
“I think we’ve got it. Get your guys in here.”  
  
***********************************************************************************************  
  
While Kurt made his way to ensure the safety of the antidote, Blaine set his sights a little higher to the SebCorp penthouse office.  
  
After giving Kurt ample time to get inside before Sebastian was alerted, Blaine flew to the window that he had left just hours before. Since he wasn’t expected, the window was not open for him, giving Blaine the chance to easily smash his way inside. Within he found a shocked Sebastian with an armful of papers on his way toward the door.   
  
“S-Superman! What are you doing here?”  
  
“In a hurry, Seb?” Blaine asked with a small smile.  
  
“The fire alarm has gone off, which your superhearing was sure to pick up. I’m just adhering to all safety codes and... exiting the building.”  
  
“Oh, I think you’ll be fine. I was hoping we could continue our conversation from last time.”  
  
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, Superman? Here to say goodbye before you do the right thing and leave town?”   
  
Blaine’s smile dropped from his face.  
  
“And what would you know about the right thing, Sebastian?”  
  
Sebastian glowered at Blaine.   
  
“The right thing, Superman, would be knowing when you’re not wanted and bowing out gracefully.”  
  
“I think the right thing, Sebastian, would be not letting a plague loose on the city in a misguided attempt to push me out and become the city’s savior.”  
  
Sebastian dropped the papers he was holding and stalked up to Blaine.   
  
“Listen here, alien: This is my city, my planet. You’re a freak, an interloper. You don’t deserve the love of the sheep that inhabit this town. Metropolis and everyone in it belong to me, and I would gladly cull every man, woman, and child for 100 miles if it meant getting you out of my way.”  
  
Blaine smiled slowly. “I hate to cut you off there, Sebastian, but I think we’ve all heard enough.” He looked past Sebastian towards the doorway. “Right, Captain?”  
  
“Absolutely.”  
  
Sebastian whipped around with wide eyes to see Santana, Kurt, and a group of Metropolis police officers standing in the doorway to his office.  
  
Santana walked to him with a wicked smile on her face.   
  
“You, Mr. Smythe, have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you...”  
  
Sebastian lost his cool once Santana began to cuff him.  
  
“This is ridiculous. I’ve done nothing wrong! You have no proof!”  
  
“Oh, we’ve got proof, Smythe.” Kurt piped up, walking up to Blaine’s side.  
  
“We’ve got your lab, which had not only the right equipment to release the ‘plague,’ but also the antidote. And we’ve got a renowned scientist willing to testify as an expert witness that only you could’ve pulled this off. You must be so proud.” Kurt smiled at him, sweetly.  
  
Sebastian glared at Kurt, practically growling, as he struggled against Santana’s hold.  
  
Blaine took a step towards him.  
  
“Watch it, Sebastian. You better go quietly because if I have to take you down, I’m not sure if I’m calm enough to hold back.”  
  
Kurt put his arm out in front of Blaine.   
  
“Don’t worry, that’s not a problem for me.”  
  
Kurt took a step toward Sebastian and punched him square in the jaw, knocking him out of Santana’s hands and onto the floor.  
  
The police captain looked from the prone body in front of her and back up to Kurt.  
  
“Nice one, Fancy. Didn’t know you had it in you.”  
  
Kurt scoffed.   
  
“I’m an army brat, Satan. Of course I can defend myself. Now if you wouldn’t mind carting our wannabe Bond Villain to the big house?”  
  
Kurt turned to Blaine with a smile only to see his partner looking at him with pure adoration as the police took Sebastian from the room.   
  
As Santana left, she called back towards the men, “Night boys! Make Auntie ‘Tana proud!”  
  
Blaine smiled sheepishly at Kurt.  
  
“Um... I guess we’ve got a lot to talk about.”  
  
Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand and gave it a squeeze.  
  
“Or we could save that for later and start with... less talking...”  
  
Kurt looked up at Blaine and grinned before pulling him in for a searing kiss.


	14. Epilogue

Blaine stood in the elevator of the Daily Planet building, his foot tapping a beat as he made his way up to the 38th floor bullpen. Checking the mirror, Blaine was faced with his usual reflection: navy blazer, white button down, brightly colored bowtie, thick rimmed glasses, helmet of gel. He knew that unseen beneath his work clothes he was sheathed in a skintight blue and red suit; his cape compacted and pressed into his back.  
  
Blaine was almost surprised to see something so mundane looking back at him through the mirror. Only the huge grin he couldn’t keep off his face remained as a clue to the practically Earth-shattering changes that had happened to him in the past few weeks, culminating the night before.  
  
*****  
  
“So.” Kurt began as he gazed up at Blaine from where he lay across Blaine’s chest, his chin resting on his crossed arms. “We’ve been over the whole ‘honey, I’m a virgin alien and I don’t want to kill you with my super dick” thing, and thankfully disproved that theory, as both parties,” Kurt motioned between them, “are perfectly intact.”  
  
Blaine couldn’t resist a chuckle. “No, as you so eloquently put it, my ‘super dick’ did just fine.”  
  
Kurt’s eyes flashed with something dark as he almost growled, “I wouldn’t use ‘just fine’ to describe that performance, Westerville. BELIEVE me.”  
  
Blaine swallowed hard, his eyes locked on Kurt’s.  
  
“Oh. Um…”  
  
Kurt smiled at his bashful boyfriend.  
  
“Anyway, as I was saying, Super Stud,” Kurt continued, slowly kissing his way up Blaine’s chest and neck, mouthing at Blaine’s jaw and causing him to moan, “are you up for round two?”  
  
Kurt punctuated his question by grabbing the back of Blaine’s neck and pulling him into a kiss.  
  
Blaine pulled back with a gasp.  
  
“Definitely,” he groaned.  
  
***  
  
Blaine was broken out of his memories by the pinging of the elevator as the doors opened. Entering the bullpen, he was greeted with the dulcet sounds of his loving boyfriend reaching from their joined desks.  
  
“WHERE THE HELL IS HUDSON WITH MY COPY? C’MON PEOPLE, DOES THIS LOOK LIKE AMATEUR HOUR?”  
  
Blaine smiled, his eyes crinkling as he walked to their desks, quietly placing a cup of coffee into Kurt’s hands.  
  
“Here, some caffeine therapy before you attempt to murder an intern.”  
  
Kurt’s bitchface immediately melted at the sight of Blaine and coffee.  
  
“Mmmm, my one true love.” He leaned forward and kissed Blaine on the cheek. “Thanks for bringing it to me.”  
  
“I see how it is. Using me for my coffee.”  
  
“That’s right. Among other things.” Kurt looked Blaine up and down, raising his eyebrow and smirking, causing Blaine to blush as they both remembered the night before.  
  
“HUMMEL! ANDERSON! GET IN HERE!”  
  
The men were interrupted by a loud shout from their editor’s office. After sharing a supportive look, the two rushed across the bullpen.  
  
“What is it, Chief?” Kurt asked when they reached his office.  
  
Burt looked up from behind his desk, adjusting his cap as he took in the two men.  
  
“Kurt, Blaine. I wanted to say, good job on that Smythe expose last week.“  
  
Kurt preened as Blaine, trying to hide his grin, said:  
  
“Thanks, Chief. We were thinking of doing a follow-up piece on Brittany… um, Dr. Pierce. After the exposure she’s finally getting some calls about funding.”  
  
Burt nodded. “Sounds good. And which of you wants to handle that one?”  
  
The partners shared a confused look.  
  
“Which of us… We’d do it together.” Kurt said, more of a question than a statement. “You’re the one who partnered us, remember?”  
  
“Yeah, I partnered you so that you could show Anderson the ropes. Since you two cracked one of the biggest scandals of the year, I’d say he’s ready to go on his own. Besides, weren’t you the one yelling at me when I first gave you a partner?”  
  
Kurt blushed.  
  
“Yes, but Chief… we would never have figured out that Smythe thing on our own.”  
  
Kurt looked over at Blaine for support, but the other man wouldn’t look him in the eye, choosing instead to stare intently at a scuff mark on his shoe.  
  
“What are you saying, Kurt?” Burt asked. “You want to keep working with Blaine? What happened to you wanting to work alone?”  
  
“I… well, I mean…” Kurt sighed. “Look, we all know I’m one of the best reporters this paper has ever seen. But… I’m a hell of a lot better when I work with Blaine.”  
  
Blaine finally looked up and turned to Kurt, his attempts at hiding a smile failing miserably.  
  
“And what have you got to say, Blaine?”  
  
Blaine pulled his gaze from Kurt’s to respond to his boss.  
  
“I’d never be stupid enough to turn down the chance to work with the great Kurt Hummel, Chief.”  
  
Burt grinned at him.  
  
“Alright boys, you’re partnered for good. Now go out there and find me a story.”  
  
“You got it, Chief!” Kurt called, grabbing Blaine’s hand and running out the door, happy to get away from the awkward tension of Burt’s office.  
  
“And try not to get shot at this time!” Burt called after them.  
  
Blaine was trying to stifle a giggle as he and Kurt got back to their desks. Kurt turned to him with a questioning expression.  
  
“What was that back there, Westerville?”  
  
Blaine cocked his head. “What was what?”  
  
“The whole bashful thing. Not speaking up when Burt was going to split us up.”  
  
Blaine blushed. “Oh. Well, you know, gotta maintain my cover as a mild mannered reporter.”  
  
“Well next time our partnership is on the line, try more man and less mouse.”  
  
“Hey,” Blaine reached out and grabbed Kurt’s hands, stroking his thumb over Kurt’s thumbs in an effort to sooth him. “I was pretty sure you had that handled. I trust you. Besides, even if we didn’t get to work together, you’d still have me. You know that, right?”  
  
Kurt took a deep breath. “I know,” he replied in almost a whisper. “But maybe I don’t want to lose you here. The Planet’s my life and I already have to share you with the world most of the time. So I’m going to keep being selfish and hold onto you whenever I can.”  
  
Blaine grinned. “That works for me. And either way, you saved the day and the Hummel/Anderson byline.”  
  
Kurt pulled back from Blaine to gesture widely. “Of course I did! And just you watch, we’re going to revolutionize the business. Our names will be in the journalistic history books along with the likes of Hearst, Hersh, and Murrow. We’ll be the new Woodward and Bernstein!”  
  
“You know something about Woodward and Bernstein that the rest of us don’t?”  
  
The men were interrupted as Rachel Berry stalked up to them, a smirk on her face.  
  
“Beat it, Berry. Go hound for gossip someplace else. I’m sure there’s a celebrity’s trash you can sift through.”  
  
“But Kurt, I’ve got enough gossip right here! Daily Planet’s Dynamic Duo Dating!”  
  
Blaine stammered a bit, obviously flustered. “What? That’s not news, no one would want to read about that.” He looked over at Kurt with wide eyes, unused to being of interest when outside of the cape.  
  
“I beg to differ, Blainey,” Rachel cooed. “After uncovering the wicked ways of Metropolis’ former golden boy, you two are a hot topic at water coolers around the city, especially if your partnership extends beyond the byline.”  
  
Kurt’s eyes narrowed. “If you make a spectacle of us, you’ll regret it, Berry.”  
  
Rachel scoffed. “Oh please, like there’s anything scandalous about the two of you. Honestly, Kurt, your last crush was a lot more interesting, even if unattainable. If you ever managed to pull off a miracle and bag a superhero, then you’d have me to worry about. No offense, Blaine.”  
Kurt moved to retaliate, but Blaine grabbed his arm.  
  
“It’s fine, Rachel. No offense taken.”  
  
Kurt glared at Rachel as she smiled at the partners.  
  
“Anyway, I’m off to spend my energy looking for more intriguing fish to fry. Bye boys!”  
  
Kurt rounded on Blaine as soon as Rachel was gone.  
  
“Alright, Westerville, I know that look. Spill.”  
  
Blaine felt a warmth in his chest that Kurt could read him so well already.  
  
“It’s just that if Rachel runs a piece on us dating, then the whole city will know you’re taken.”  
  
“That’s very Cro-Magnon of you, Blaine. I had no idea you were so territorial.”  
  
Blaine laughed. “Well, that’s just a happy side effect. The real point is that if the city knows you’re dating me, they won’t think you’re with him. I won’t have to worry so much about you being targeted because people think you’re close to Superman. I’ll just have to worry about you running headfirst into trouble, like you normally do.”  
  
Kurt smiled affectionately at Blaine. “Huh. Who’d have thought that Rachel Berry would do something good for once?”  
  
Kurt’s expression was so adorable to Blaine that he couldn’t help but lean in for a quick kiss, realizing that if Rachel knew about the two of them then the whole staff knew, and they had nothing left to hide.  
  
However, their moment was cut short by a call across the bullpen.  
  
“POWER’S OUT IN MIDTOWN! REPORTS ARE SAYING SOME LADY IS SUCKING UP THE ELECTRICITY AND SHOOTING IT AT COPS!”  
  
Kurt and Blaine turned to each other at the same time.  
  
“Alright Anderson, I’ll hit the streets, you go… do some research.”  
  
Kurt winked at Blaine, who gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered, “I’ll see you there.”  
  
Kurt grabbed his coat and ran for the elevators, calling out for someone to hold the door, as Blaine ran for the nearest supply closet.  
As he quickly shed his tie and shirt to reveal the suit beneath and began to fly towards the ruckus in midtown, Blaine couldn’t help but smile to himself. Just a few short years ago he was a scared, lonely kid in Ohio, hiding everything about himself and dreaming of getting out. Now he was in Metropolis, spending half his time saving the world as a reporter, and the other half finally able to be himself fully. And more than that, he’d found someone to love and accept all the parts of him, the good and the bad. Besides his brother, Blaine had never been able to lean on or trust another person. He knew the same could be said for Kurt, who’d had even fewer people to depend on growing up. But now they’d found each other.  
  
And as Blaine sped off to what was sure to be just one fight in a never-ending battle to defend Metropolis, he realized that as crazy as his life was, he wouldn’t want it any other way, or to share it with any other person.


End file.
